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Abstract Aim Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis (AGSP) presents as a surgical emergency with diverse clinical outcomes. The guidelines from the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery of Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS) recommend inpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) during the index admission or within two weeks for surgically fit patients in cases of mild to moderate AGSP. This study examines the surgical management of AGSP, evaluating adherence to AUGIS guidelines. Methods All patients admitted to a single surgical unit who had MRCP for AGPS from September 2020 to September 2022 were included. Electronic case notes were reviewed for demographics, comorbidities, radiological results, whether they had LC and reasons for not proceeding to LC. Severity of AGSP were graded using CT severity index. Those with severe AGSP were excluded. Results 116 patients were identified; one was excluded. Median age was 59 years (IQR 46-73) and 79 (68.9%) were female. Median length of stay was 5.8 days (IQR 3.7-8.2). 19 (16.5%) patients had inpatient LC, 42 (36.5%) had outpatient LC, 4 (3.5%) patients declined LC, 10 (8.7%) patients were not surgically fit and in 40 (34.8%) patients there was no documentation of why LC not carried out. The median Charlson Comorbidity Index for patients where there was no documentations for not proceeding with LC was 4.5 (IQR 2.3-5.8). Conclusion Our study highlights suboptimal compliance with national guideline. It is essential that patients with AGSP undergo inpatient LC or receive prompt outpatient LC to mitigate the risk of recurrent AGSP. Thorough documentation becomes imperative in cases where LC is not scheduled.
Tan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.