How many days after surgery for common bile duct stones can a patient be discharged?
Nov 03, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Gao Jun
Introduction
In general, the hospital discharge time after surgery for common bile duct stones depends on the surgical approach. For minimally invasive procedures, patients are typically discharged within 3 to 5 days, while traditional open abdominal surgery usually requires a hospital stay of 7 to 10 days; the exact timing should be adjusted according to the patient's recovery progress. After surgery, it is important to keep the wound clean, avoid strenuous activities, gradually transition the diet from liquid to low-fat, bland foods, and regularly follow up with liver function tests and biliary tract evaluations.
In general, the discharge time after surgery for common bile duct stones depends on the surgical approach. For minimally invasive procedures, patients are typically discharged within 3 to 5 days, while open abdominal surgery usually requires a hospital stay of 7 to 10 days. The exact timing should be adjusted based on the individual patient's recovery progress. Detailed analysis is as follows:
Laparoscopic common bile duct stone removal is a minimally invasive procedure characterized by small incisions, minimal blood loss, and rapid postoperative recovery. If the patient has no fever, abdominal pain, or other discomfort after surgery, and gastrointestinal function gradually returns with normal eating tolerance and no abnormalities in drainage tubes, discharge is typically arranged 3 to 5 days after surgery, followed by continued recovery at home.
Traditional open common bile duct stone surgery involves larger trauma, resulting in longer wound healing and overall recovery time. The surgical site must be monitored for signs of infection such as redness, swelling, or fluid leakage. Discharge generally occurs 7 to 10 days after surgery, once wound pain has subsided, gastrointestinal function has recovered well, and all clinical indicators are normal. Some patients with slower recovery may require a longer hospital stay.
After surgery, it is important to keep the wound clean, avoid strenuous physical activity, and gradually transition the diet from liquid to low-fat, bland foods. Regular follow-up examinations of liver function and biliary tract status are necessary. If complications such as wound infection or jaundice occur after surgery, timely medical intervention is required, which may delay the planned discharge time.
