Studies have shown that prophylactic or elective cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) for aymptomatic gallstones in heart transplant patients decreases mortality as compared to surgery done in urgent or emergent situations. It is also associated with a cost savings per quality-adjusted year.
Because of these two findings, it is now generally accepted that cholecystectomy should be done on cardiac transplant recipients when gallstones are found incidentally.
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