Frequency of port infection after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its relationship with BMI in hospitals of Babol University of medical sciences

Background and Aims: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the surgical procedures for cholecystectomy, which may be associated with difficulty and complications in people with high body mass index (BMI). In this study, we investigated the location of the portal infection following laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its association with BMI in hospitals affiliated with Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2012-2015. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, all patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery (n=801) were included after obtaining informed consent. Demographic (e.g., gender, age, and BMI) and clinical (e.g., type of disease, number of gallstones, port site infection, and duration of surgery) information were evaluated. Results: Most patients were female (87%), with a mean age of 43.38 ± 14.23 years. The average BMI of the patients was reported as 31.72 ± 6.86 kg/m2; most of them were in the range of 30-39.9 (44.8%), and at least a few patients had a BMI greater than or equal to 40 (12.5%). The mean BMI of patients was 31.72 ± 6.86 kg/m2. The majority of patients had chronic cholecystitis (70.2%) and colic bilirubin (18.6%). The duration of surgery was 35.18 ± 10.59 minutes. Around 2% of the patients had an infection site of the port (1.2%), the cases of umbilical epigastric (0.5%), or both sites (0.2%). The BMI of patients with port umbilical infection was 41.48±3.45 and epigastric 30.38±5.87, and patients with port umbilical infection had significantly higher BMI than patients with epigastric infection (P<0.001). Individuals with a BMI higher than 30 were significantly more likely to have an umbilical portal infection (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, patients with an umbilical port site infection had a higher BMI.