Brenda Thornton
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "floating around. I was a nurse anesthetist for many years prior to retiring and I saw the gallbladder ruptured in a few cases and gallstones spilled out into the abdomen. This was during laparoscopic gallbladder surgery and I was never quite sure whether they managed to irrigate out all the small stones which had been spilled. If any remained, they could lead to abcesses, infection, and tissue breakdown inside the abdomen. However, what I think you're referring to is stones being left in the common bile duct which can be quite serious. In the old gallbladder surgery, if there was any question as to whether there were stones remaining in the duct, dye was injected into the duct and an x-ray confirmed whether the duct was clear or the presence of stones. Laparoscopically, this is not as easily done. A gallbladder or obstructive attack due to remaining stones can indeed mimic a heart attack and they can be deadly as well. Good luck.