Gallbladder removal - open

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Cholecystitis, cholangiogram	Cholecystitis, CT scan	Cholecystolithiasis	Gallbladder

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Always tell your doctor or nurse:

• If you are or might be pregnant
• What drugs, vitamins, and other supplements you are taking, even ones you bought without a prescription

During the week before your surgery:

• You may be asked to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), vitamin E, warfarin (Coumadin), and any other drugs that make it hard for your blood to clot.
• Your doctor may ask you to "clean out" your colon or intestines.
• Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.

On the day of the surgery:

• Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
• Take the drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
• Shower the night before or the morning of your surgery
• Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.

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Prepare your home for after the surgery.

People usually stay in the hospital for 2 to 6 days after open gallbladder removal. During that time:

• You will be asked to breathe into a medical device called an incentive spirometer. This helps keep your lungs working well so that you do not get pneumonia.
• The nurse will help you sit up in bed, hang your legs over the side, and then stand up and start to walk.
• At first you will receive fluids into your vein through an intravenous tube (IV). Soon, though, the doctors and nurses will ask you to start drinking liquids and then eat other foods.
• You will be able to begin showering again while you are still in the hospital.
• You may be asked to wear pressure stockings on your legs to help prevent a blood clot from forming. These help keep your blood circulating well.

If there were problems during your surgery, or if you have bleeding, a lot of pain, or a fever, you may need to stay in the hospital longer.

Most people do very well and recover quickly.

Review Date: 11/15/2008
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Robert J. Fitzgibbons, Jr., MD, FACS, Harry E. Stuckenhoff Professor of Surgery, Chief of General Surgery, and Associate Chairman, Department of Surgery, Creighton University School of Medicine (11/15/2008).

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).