Patients support transfer of care for unexpected findings in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Introduction: Surgeons often assume patients may be dissatisfied if their operations were stopped due to suspicious intraoperative findings requiring transfer of care. We sought to assess patient opinions regarding transfer of care for unexpected intraoperative findings during laparoscopic cholecystectomy with and without bile duct injury (BDI).

Methods And Procedures: The investigators developed two clinical scenarios comparing transfer of care for unexpected intraoperative findings during elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy: without BDI and with BDI requiring open repair.