Surgical Complications in Conventional and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in an Ecuadorian Reference Hospital.

Cholecystectomy is a very common surgical intervention that consists of the removal of the gallbladder, especially when complications such as cholecystitis exist. The laparoscopic technique has been associated with greater postsurgical benefits; however, no local research has been conducted comparing these two techniques, considering that in poor-income countries, there are hospitals that do not have the technological and economic resources available to perform laparoscopic surgeries. This project aimed to determine the differences between open versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in terms of complications, in patients in the general surgery service from January to June 2024 at the Hospital Provincial General Docente Riobamba, Ecuador. We present an original, observational, cross-sectional, retrospective, quantitative study, with a descriptive and inferential approach. Of a total sample of 107 patients, 69 (64.5%) underwent conventional cholecystectomy and 38 (35.5%) underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, of whom the main pathology was cholelithiasis in 100 (93%) cases. A total of 12 (11%) patients presented complications, and the most frequent were biliary leakage and injury to a nearby organ; 26 (24%) had comorbidities, predominantly type 2 diabetes and hypertension. There was insufficient evidence to determine differences between open versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy with the occurrence of surgical complications (p > 0.05). Emergency surgery and the presence of comorbidities conferred a higher probability of surgical complications (OR: 3.53, 95% CI: 1.029 - 12.08, p = 0.049 and OR: 3.75, 95% CI: 1.09 - 12.89, p = 0.028, respectively). It is concluded that there are no differences in complications regarding the type of cholecystectomy (open or laparoscopic), but there were differences in the presence of comorbidities and whether the surgery was an emergency procedure.