• A M Saad and A M el Hassan.
• Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan.
• East Afr Med J. 1993 Aug 1; 70 (8): 499-501.

AbstractThe use of subhepatic intraperitoneal drains was prospectively studied in 100 patients who underwent elective cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstones. These patients were randomised to have subhepatic drains (group A, n = 50 patients) or to have no drains (group B, n = 50 patients). There was no difference in the age or sex composition of the two groups. The patients were followed in the post-operative period (0-7 days) for evidence of fever, wound infection, septicaemia and any evidence of intra-peritoneal bile leakage. Also post operative hospital stay of patients was noted. In group A, 14 patients (28%) developed spikes of temperature of 38 degrees C or more while only 5 patients (10%) in group B developed such episodes. The difference was statistically significant between the two groups (P < 0.05). Wound infection occurred significantly more (P < 0.05) in group A (in 15 patients) as compared to group B (in 5 patients). Septicaemia occurred in 2 patients in group A and in none in group B. There was no evidence of intraperitoneal bile leakage in either group. Patients in group A tended to have longer post operative hospital stay (mean of 10.2 days) than patients in group B (mean 8.7 days); but the difference between the two groups in this respect was not significant. We conclude that subhepatic intra-peritoneal drains offered no additional advantage in elective cholecystectomy. The evidence we had pointed to their harmful effects.

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