Elective cholecystectomy: 1% severe-complication benchmark

In 48,564 Swedish elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies, achievable-care benchmarks were 0.2% for serious intraoperative events and 1.0% for severe 30-day complications—useful quality targets, not guarantees of what every unit should achieve.

• Real-world rates were 0.5% and 1.7%, respectively; mortality was under 0.1%.
• ASA class III or higher, prior abdominal surgery, and altered gallbladder morphology were associated with severe complications.

These benchmarks can help identify opportunities for improvement, but the cohort excluded several higher-complexity cases, including suspected duct obstruction and major prior upper-abdominal surgery.