Quicker Referral for Gallbladder Operation Could Save 50 Percent of Preoperative Treatme...(operating room. We also think that if a ...),Health

Findings from the study carry a message not only for primary care physicians who refer patients to surgeons for treatment of gallstones but also for patients. "When patients have a bout with gallstones, they often go to the emergency room to get medications. When they feel better, they don't feel the need to see a surgeon or have a follow-up. But then they end up having more pain and come back to the emergency department. So the onus is on patients and physicians as well to get this problem taken care of surgically as soon as they can," she said.

The researchers reviewed every patient who had been surgically treated for gallstones at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) hospitals, tabulated the number of times patients went to the emergency department or saw their primary care physician as well as the number of imaging studies they had prior to their operation, and added up the total hospital charges before they underwent the procedure. The research team plans to extend the study to the entire state of North Carolina. "This study was limited to UNC, so we did not capture patients who were treated and had imaging studies at other hospitals. We hope to get a much better picture of the management of gallbladder disease using all the data from the state," Dr. McPhail said.

Blockage of the bile ducts by gallstones is the most common reason why patients are hospitalized for severe abdominal pain. Because gallstones almost never disappear spontaneously, they are treated most effectively by surgically removing the gallbladder [cholecystectomy]. "I think most people know that if they have symptomatic gallstones, the answer is to take out the gallbladder surgically. We are hoping that the information from this study will sho
'/>"/>