Abstract / Summary
Background: Obesity is related to worse surgical outcomes following cholecystectomy as compared to individuals with normal body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to determine the outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in obese patients at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: Descriptive case series conducted in the Department of General Surgery, over a period of six months. A total of 139 patients aged 18-60 years with a body-mass index greater than 27.5 kg/m² (Asian criteria for obesity) undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled through consecutive, non-probability sampling. Operative duration, hospital stay, and postoperative pain (visual analogue scale, VAS) at 1 and 5 hours were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22; the chi-square test or independent sample t-test was applied as appropriate, with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: The mean age was 43.34 ± 9.24 years and mean BMI was 32.73 ± 2.84 kg/m², with 68 males (48.9%) and 71 females (51.1%). Comorbid diabetes and hypertension were present in 16.5% and 14.4% of patients, respectively. The mean VAS score fell from 5.92 ± 1.02 at 1 hour to 3.30 ± 0.59 at 5 hours postoperatively. On multinomial regression, a higher BMI category was the only independent predictor of severe pain at 1 hour (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.18–6.19, p = 0.019), while no variable significantly predicted pain severity at 5 hours. Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a feasible and effective option in obese patients too, with acceptable operative and pain outcomes. Higher BMI predicts greater early postoperative pain but this resolves by 5 hours with standard analgesia.