Regional variations in Sweden over time regarding the surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis: a population-based register study.

Objective: To provide optimal health care for patients with acute cholecystitis in need of acute cholecystectomy, resource allocation has to be optimized. The aim of this study was to assess possible regional inequity regarding the treatment of acute cholecystitis and explore regional differences in the management of acute cholecystitis.

Methods: Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography. Between January 2010 and December 2019, 22,985 patients who underwent cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis and without prior history of acute cholecystitis were included in the study. The ratio of cholecystectomies with acute cholecystitis performed within two days of admission to hospital compared to population density was studied. Furthermore, the proportion of acute performed cholecystectomies within two days of admission in regions, with or without tertiary care centers, was also examined.

Results: No correlation between population density and proportion of acute performed cholecystectomies was found. Regions without tertiary care centers had a higher proportion of acute cholecystectomies performed within two days (5-10%). The difference in the ratio of acute cholecystectomies within two days of admission was significant for all years investigated except 2010.

Conclusions: The presence of a tertiary referral center within the region had a greater influence than the population density on the chance of undergoing acute cholecystectomy for patients with acute cholecystitis. There are several potential explanations for this, one being an interference of the needs of patients requiring tertiary referral center care with the needs of patients in need of acute care surgery.