Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis in Critically ill Patients: Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies

Background Acute acalculous cholecystitis is a condition that usually occurs due to severe clinical status, it is relatively rare and hard to diagnose. A pathology that presents multifactorial etiology, it has been reported in the postoperative period, in burn patients and in association with sepsis, diabetes mellitus, vasculitis and parenteral nutrition. This article is an updated bibliographical review concerning the etiology, diagnosis and therapeutic management of acute acalculous cholecystitis. Method Articles were selected following research in the PubMed, Scielo, Scopus and Web of Science databases using the keywords acute cholecystitis, gallbladder diseases, acalculous cholecystitis, surgical intensive care, patient care, critical care. Results The mortality rate of patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis remains high and is mainly due to the serious underlying medical conditions and rapid progression of the disease to gangrene and perforation. The definitive therapy is a cholecystectomy and the draining of abscesses that occur during the clinical course of the disease.