Financial Burden Secondary to Delay in Cholecystectomy Following Mild Biliary Pancreatitis

Aim of the study: The guidelines recommend that patients with mild gallstones pancreatitis should undergo a definitive management for gallstones during the same admission or within the next two weeks. The aim of this study was to estimate the financial cost resulting from a delay in surgical management following mild gallstones pancreatitis. This includes the costs of readmissions with biliary events and the subsequent investigations required during these admissions. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis included patients with gallstone pancreatitis who were admitted to a district general hospital in the United Kingdom over one year. Patients with severe pancreatitis and those unfit for surgery were excluded. Results: Forty patients were included in the study, 27 females (67%) and 13 males (33%). Mean age was 50.2 years. Twenty-two patients of the total presented with a single admission with gallstone pancreatitis prior to an elective surgery; however, 18 patients (45%) required recurrent admissions. The duration between the first admission and surgery ranged from 14 to 389 days (median of 99 days). Only one patient (2.5%) had cholecystectomy within two weeks of admission as per guidelines. Twenty-two ultrasound scans, four computed tomography scans, 15 magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and two endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were the total of the extra-investigations required during readmissions. Estimated costs of extra admissions and extra investigations exceeded £33,000. Conclusions: The delay in cholecystectomy for patients admitted with mild gallstone pancreatitis and fit for surgery has resulted in high readmission rate with biliary events, and subsequently high extrax costs.