Critical view of safety—its feasibility and efficacy in preventing bile duct injuries

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is one of the most common operations performed worldwide. While outcomes are uneventful in the vast majority of patients, injury to the common bile duct remains problematic and results in major harm in 0.2–0.6% of patients who undergo this procedure. The critical view of safety (CVS) is considered by many to be the preferred method of ductal identi cation in LC with the potential to review enhance safety around this operation. In this article, the literature on effectiveness of CVS will be reviewed and alternate strategies for when the CVS cannot be obtained will be discussed that include intraoperative cholangiography and subtotal cholecystectomy. Awareness of the SAGES Safe Cholecystectomy program and future educational initiatives around this program will also be presented.