Background: Major bleeding is rare but among the most serious complications of laparoscopic surgery. Still very\nlittle is known on bleeding complications and related blood component use in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).\nThe aim of this study is to compare bleeding complications, transfusion rates and related costs between LC and\nopen cholecystectomy (OC).\nMethods: Data concerning LCs and OCs and related blood component use between 2002 and 2007 were collected\nfrom existing computerized medical records (Finnish Red Cross Register) of ten Finnish hospital districts.\nResults: Register data included 17175 LCs and 4942 OCs. In the LC group, 1.3 % of the patients received red blood\ncell (RBC) transfusion compared to 13 % of the patients in the OC group (p < 0.001). Similarly, the proportions of\npatients with platelet (0.1 % vs. 1.2 %, p < 0.001) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) products (0.5 % vs. 5.8 %) transfusions\nwere respectively higher in the OC group than in the LC group. The mean transfused dose of RBCs, PTLs and FFP\nproduct Octaplas�® or the mean cost of the transfused blood components did not differ significantly between the\nLC and OC groups.\nConclusions: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was associated with lower transfusion rates of blood components\ncompared to open surgery. The severity of bleeding complications may not differ substantially between LC and OC.
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