Is gallbladder removal considered major surgery?

Cholecystectomy is not a major surgery. Currently, surgery is classified as Class I-IV, and cholecystectomy is a Class III procedure. Most gallbladder diseases, such as gallbladder stones, gallbladder polyps, and cholecystitis, can be accomplished through laparoscopic cholecystectomy at present. This type of surgery is less invasive, faster recovery, and has been developed very maturely and is one of the first procedures used in minimally invasive techniques. Generally, the gallbladder can be discharged from the hospital 3-5 days after the cholecystectomy, and in some large medical centers, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become a day surgery, and the patient can be discharged from the hospital to recuperate after the postoperative observation of stable condition. However, although cholecystectomy is not a major surgery, it is still risky and potentially life-threatening for certain elderly patients, especially those with chronic diseases such as combined coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and renal insufficiency, to undergo cholecystectomy in an emergency. In addition, although the level of cholecystectomy is small, once the consequences of damage to the bile duct are very serious, it may require another operation or multiple operations. After surgery, there is also a risk of recurrent biliary ductitis, bile duct stones or even bile duct cancer, and some patients may develop biliary cirrhosis, which eventually leads to death.