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Background: This study was performed to investigate the relationship between bactibilia and postoperative infection in patients undergoing surgery for obstructive jaundice.

Methods: With IRB approval, we prospectively examined 76 patients undergoing surgery for obstructive jaundice. It was the routine practice of the surgeons performing the operations to culture the common bile duct bile (CBDB). Rates of postoperative infection were analyzed with regard to the effect of positive bile cultures and biliary instrumentation preoperatively.

Results: Seventy-one patients had CBDB cultures, 16 of whom had bactibilia. Bactibilia was present in 15 of 47 (33%) who had preoperative ERCP versus one of 24 (4%) of those without preoperative ERCP (p = 0.0075). Postoperative infection, including pneumonia, bloodstream, central venous catheter, surgical site, intraabdominal, and urinary tract infection, occurred in six of 16 (38%) of those with bactibilia versus four of 55 (7%) of those without bactibilia (p = 0.0071).

Conclusions: Preoperative ERCP was associated with an approximately eightfold increase in the likelihood of having culture-positive bile at the time of surgery for obstructive jaundice. Additionally, culture-positive bile at the time of surgery was associated with a greater than fivefold incidence of postoperative infection.