Costs and Clinical Outcomes of Conventional Single Port and Micro-laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE This study compares hospital costs and clinical outcomes for conventional laparoscopic, single-port, and mini-laparoscopic cholecystectomy from US hospitals. METHODS Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years and undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with records in the Premier Hospital Database from 2009 through the second quarter of 2010. Patients were categorized into 3 groups-conventional laparoscopic, single port, or mini-laparoscopic-based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Current Procedural Terminology codes and hospital charge descriptions for surgical tools used. A procedure was considered mini-laparoscopic if no single-port surgery products were identified in the charge master descriptions and the patient record showed that at least 1 product measuring 5 mm was used, not more than 1 product measuring <5 mm was used, and the measurements of the other products identified equaled >5 mm. Summary statistics were generated for all 3 groups. Multivariable analyses were performed on hospital costs and clinical outcomes. Models were adjusted for demographics, patient severity, comorbid conditions, and hospital characteristics. RESULTS In the outpatient setting, for single-port surgery, hospital costs were approximately $834 more than those for mini-laparoscopic surgery and $964 more than those for conventional laparoscopic surgery (P < .0001). Adverse events were significantly higher (P < .0001) for single-port surgery compared with mini-laparoscopic surgery (95% confidence interval for odds ratio, 1.38-2.68) and single-port surgery versus conventional surgery (95% confidence interval for odds ratio, 1.37-2.35). Mini-laparoscopic surgery hospital costs were significantly (P < .0001) lower than the costs for conventional surgery by $211, and there were no significant differences in adverse events. CONCLUSIONS These findings should inform practice patterns, treatment guidelines, and payor policy in managing cholecystectomy patients.