Where is gallbladder surgery performed

Scar tissue from many previous abdominal surgeries. Abnormal anatomy in the abdomen. How Well It Works Surgery reduces the risk that gallstones will come back. Risks The possible complications of open gallbladder surgery include: Injury to the common bile duct.

Bile that leaks into the abdominal cavity. Excessive bleeding. Infection of the surgical wound. Injuries to the liver, intestines, or major abdominal blood vessels. Blood clots or pneumonia related to the longer recovery period after open surgery.

Risks of general anesthesia. What To Think About Open gallbladder surgery has been done safely for many years. Treatment of gallstone disease.

In M Feldman et al. Philadelphia: Saunders. This can cause symptoms such as: sudden and intense tummy pain feeling and being sick yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes jaundice Very occasionally it may be possible to take tablets to dissolve gallstones, but surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most effective treatment in the vast majority of cases.

What happens during gallbladder removal surgery There are 2 main ways of removing a gallbladder: laparoscopic keyhole cholecystectomy — several small cuts incisions are made in your tummy abdomen and fine surgical instruments are used to access and remove your gallbladder open cholecystectomy — a single larger incision is made in your tummy to access and remove your gallbladder Keyhole surgery is used most often because you can leave hospital sooner, recover faster and are left with smaller scars than with an open procedure.

Find out more about how gallbladder removal surgery is performed Recovering from gallbladder removal surgery It doesn't usually take long to recover from keyhole surgery to remove your gallbladder. Most people can leave hospital the same day or the next morning. You'll probably be able to return to most of your normal activities within 2 weeks. Find out more about recovering from gallbladder removal surgery Living without a gallbladder You can lead a perfectly normal life without a gallbladder.

Find out more about diet after gallbladder surgery Risks of gallbladder removal surgery Gallbladder removal surgery is considered to be a safe procedure, but, like any type of surgery, there's a risk of complications.

Possible complications include: wound infection bile leaking into the tummy damage to one of the openings ducts carrying bile out of the liver blood clots Speak to your surgeon about the benefits and risks of surgery before your operation. This is to make sure you are in good health before the procedure. You may also need blood tests and other diagnostic tests.

You must not eat or drink for 8 hours before the procedure. This often means no food or drink after midnight. Tell your provider if you are sensitive to or allergic to any medicines, latex, tape, and anesthesia medicines local and general.

Tell your provider about all the medicines you take. This includes both over-the-counter and prescription medicines.

It also includes vitamins, herbs, and other supplements. Tell your provider if you have a history of bleeding disorders. Let your provider know if you are taking any blood-thinning medicines, aspirin, ibuprofen, or other medicines that affect blood clotting.

You may need to stop taking these medicines before the procedure. If this is an outpatient procedure, you will need to have someone drive you home afterward. You may have a cholecystectomy as an outpatient or as part of your stay in a hospital. The way the surgery is done may vary depending on your condition and your healthcare provider's practices.

A cholecystectomy is generally done while you are given medicines to put you into a deep sleep under general anesthesia. A tube will be put down your throat to help you breathe. The anesthesiologist will check your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery. An incision will be made. The incision may slant under your ribs on the right side of your abdomen.

Or it may be made in the upper part of your abdomen. In some cases, 1 or more drains may be put into the incision.

This allows drainage of fluids or pus. About 3 or 4 small incisions will be made in your abdomen. Carbon dioxide gas will be put into your abdomen so that it swells up. This lets the gallbladder and nearby organs be easily seen. The laparoscope will be put into an incision.

Surgical tools will be put through the other incisions to remove your gallbladder. When the surgery is done, the laparoscope and tools are removed. The carbon dioxide gas is let out through the incisions. Most of it will be reabsorbed by your body. You might have a specialized X-ray of your gallbladder and bile duct during surgery.

This X-ray can find gallstones in the common bile duct. If you have them, the surgeon might need to do additional procedures during the surgery. Or you might need another procedure to remove them later. Ask about their experience doing laparoscopic gallbladder removal and open gallbladder surgery. A few people cannot have laparoscopic gallbladder removal. You might have open surgery if you are one of these people.

Some reasons for having or switching to open surgery are:. It is not a complication problem if your surgeon decides to switch to open surgery. They will switch if open surgery is the safest option for you. Your surgeon might not know this until after the laparoscopy starts. They will use their best judgment about the safest surgery for you.

You will probably go back to normal activities within one week. Complications are problems that happen during medical care or after it. Most people who have laparoscopic gallbladder removal have few complications or none at all. Complications of laparoscopic gallbladder removal cholecystectomy do not happen often. They can include bleeding, infection in the surgery area, hernias, blood clots, and heart problems.

A hernia is when a small amount of your gut intestine or other tissue bulges through the muscles that cover it. You should also know that any surgery has the risk of hurting other body parts. This is not likely, but it is possible. Gallbladder surgery could hurt nearby areas such as the common bile duct, large intestine colon , or small intestine.

You might need another surgery if this happens. It is also possible that bile might leak into the abdomen after gallbladder surgery. Most complications from gallbladder surgery are rare, which means they almost never happen. If you are concerned about any possible complication, ask your surgeon. You can probably go home the day you have your surgery, or you might stay in the hospital overnight.

You need to be able to drink liquids before you go home. You will feel some pain after surgery. Pain at the incision sites and in your abdomen is common.