Early cholecystectomy (E-CCY; 8 weeks or less) after percutaneous cholecystostomy tube (PCT) placement has been associated with increased postoperative complications, but this finding has not been validated at a national level and PCT-related complications and interventions (PCT-RCIs) were not evaluated.

Adults with PCT for acute cholecystitis subsequently undergoing CCY were identified within the Nationwide Readmission Database (2010-2015) and our institution (2017-2019). Adjusted relative risks (aRRs) of postoperative complications were estimated using Poisson regression comparing E-CCY with delayed cholecystectomy (D-CCY; more than 8 weeks) within the nationwide cohort. Institutional PCT-RCIs, operative data, and postoperative outcomes were compared between E-CCY and D-CCY using chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Of 6,145 patients from the Nationwide Readmission Database, 32.9% were D-CCY. Risk-adjusted analysis identified no differences between E-CCY and D-CCY in complications (aRR 0.98; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.07), mortality (aRR 0.88; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.81), or 30-day readmissions (aRR 1.04; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.27). Risk-adjusted analyses assessing the association of time to interval cholecystectomy (IC) with morbidity indicated an increased risk of surgical complications in the first month after PCT placement (aRR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.33). In the institutional cohort (E-CCY, n = 23; D-CCY, n = 45), there were no statistically significant differences found in estimated blood loss, length of stay, and postoperative complications. There were increased PCT-RCIs in the D-CCY group (26.9% E-CCY vs 69% D-CCY; p < 0.01) based on our unadjusted analysis.

Increased operative complications when IC is performed within 1 month of PCT placement and increased PCT-RCIs when IC is performed 8 weeks after PCT placement suggest that the most favorable timing for IC is between 4 and 8 weeks after PCT placement.