What to Expect from a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Written by Zorida Castro, BSN, RN

This article is for those looking for an educational resource, using simple words, to explain what a laparoscopic cholecystectomy is and what to expect from this surgery. This may be a procedure that your doctor has mentioned or it may already be on your schedule. The goal of this article is to make the surgery simple to understand and to provide expectations for the surgery day.

Every hospital and provider is different, so be sure to follow the instructions given to you for the most precise expectations.

Laparoscopic means that a thin tube with a scope (or camera) will be used inside the abdomen (tummy) to look inside the body and/or perform surgery (2). Cholecystectomy is a word with three parts. “Chole-” is indicative of gall or bile; “cyst” is a medical term indicative of the word “bladder”; “ectomy” is a medical suffix that means “to remove”(3).

Therefore, laparoscopic cholecystectomy means to surgically remove the gallbladder with a medical camera.

The surgery will take about 1-2 hours for the surgeon to make three to four small incisions (surgical cuts) the size of keyholes (4) on your tummy and commonly the naval (belly button). The surgeon will then insert the cameras to visualize the contents in your tummy and take out the gall bladder before closing up the incisions (2).

Once you set a date for your surgery, you will be given a set of instructions from your healthcare team including setting appointments for a pre-operative (before surgery) body assessment and lab testing including bloodwork.

If your surgery will be in a hospital, rather than a surgical center, it is common to be told that you will not have a specific time for surgery until you get a call the day before. Keep this in mind if you are navigating child care or other needs.

At this time you will likely also set your post-operative (after surgery) appointment to see the doctor after your surgery. This may be one to two weeks away depending on their preference and your availability.

Most often the office from which you see your surgeon and where the surgery is performed are in a different location.

Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions carefully. In some cases, your doctor may give you a special antibacterial (anti-germ) soap to bathe with before surgery (6). This is to ensure that there is the least amount of germs going into the sterile (very clean) operating room.

Your instructions may say that you cannot eat or drink by midnight before your procedure. Talk to your healthcare team about any medications you take because they may ask you to stop medications at midnight before your surgery (4). This is because you will be given anesthesia medication for your procedure making you “medically asleep”; it is safest for your stomach to be completely empty because it decreases your risk of choking while you are “medically asleep”. Have confidence that there are a whole host of healthcare professionals there to take care of you and ensure your safety.

Plan to have a trusted person drop you off and pick you up on surgery day. In order for surgery arrival to be stress-free, be sure to know exactly when to arrive, where to park, and where to go once you are inside.

Each hospital or surgery center may be a little different but you can expect to be seen by a nurse, a doctor, and an anesthetist (the doctor who will give you the anesthesia). You will likely need to provide a urine sample and will be getting an IV catheter that will be used to give your medications during surgery.

You will change into the hospital gown and put your personal belongings in a plastic hospital bag.

Once it is time to go in for surgery a small team of healthcare professionals will come to you and wheel you over to the operating room on your bed to begin receiving anesthesia and then start the procedure (5).

After surgery, you will be wheeled into a recovery space where a healthcare team will monitor you as you come out of anesthesia by checking your vital signs including temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and others. This monitoring time will often be short. With the guidance of your healthcare team, you will likely be given a small snack and try to go to the restroom before being cleared to go home.

Your healthcare team will give you take-home instructions on pain management, how to care for your keyhole-sized wounds and dressings, and a guide for when to contact your doctor(5).

From this guide, you learned the specifics of what a laparoscopic cholecystectomy is and what to expect in the days surrounding your surgery.