Cholelithiasis is extremely common in the United States, affecting approximately 10 to 15% of the population. The vast majority of patients remain asymptomatic. Elective cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis is a well-established procedure with excellent outcomes. The diagnosis in critically ill patients may not be straightforward. Inflammation and infection of the gallbladder can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Whether the gallbladder is the primary etiology of hemodynamic compromise (as in emphysematous or gangrenous cholecystitis) or is the victim of secondary insult (as in ischemia-related acalculous cholecystitis), the intensivist must consider cholecystitis in the differential of clinical deterioration.
This review contains 6 figures, 5 tables, and 59 references.
Key words: acalculous, biliary disease, cholangitis, cholecystitis, emphysematous cholecystitis
Perforated emphysematous cholecystitis with secondary peritonitis
