Background: Several options exist for the diagnosis and management of suspected common duct stones. We hypothesized that a protocol-directed approach would shorten length of stay in this patient population.

Methods: Patients from four participating institutions with a peak bilirubin <4 mg/dL underwent surgery as the initial procedure, whereas patients with a bilirubin ≥4 mg/dL underwent endoscopy. The primary endpoint was length of stay. Analysis involved chi square and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test with significance at p < 0.05.

Results: 214 patients were managed under the protocol during six-month study period. 111 patients (52%) required endoscopy and surgery. Length of stay and the number of MRCPs performed pre-operatively significantly decreased following protocol implementation (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: "Surgery first" approach in patients with bilirubin <4 ml/dL resulted in low morbidity and mortality, reduced MRCP, and length of stay.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.09.009DOI Listing

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