Laparoscopic surgery is the option surgeons choose in an effort to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures. Many procedures, such as gall bladder surgery, hysterectomies and weight reduction surgeries, are now being performed with laparoscopic methods. This option typically calls for less time in the operating room and a shorter recovery time. Instead of one large abdominal incision, a laparoscopic surgery requires two to three small incisions through which instruments are passed. While laparoscopic surgery has some advantages over open surgery, it still carries the same risks associated with any abdominal surgical procedure, as well as complications specific to this type of procedure.
Effects
General surgical complications include the following: anesthesia-related respiratory problems, infection of the incision sites, blood vessel damage, hemorrhage and post-operative incisional hernia. These complications are not specific to laparoscopic surgery.
Types
There are three categories of laparoscopic surgery complications: access related, those caused by the introduction of carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide to the abdominal cavity (pneumoperitoneum), and procedural. The type of procedural complication varies with the type of laparoscopic procedure being performed (gall bladder versus hysterectomy, for example).
Identification
Access-related complications of laparoscopic surgery typically involve a problem that occurs in creating the incisions and introducing the instruments into the abdominal cavity. The carbon dioxide used during the procedure to create the pneumoperitoneum can be absorbed and cause a detrimental, acidic condition of the blood.
Considerations
Bowel and blood vessel injuries are serious complications associated with laparoscopic surgery. These unintentional injuries are commonly caused by the surgical instruments during the procedure.
Warning
Signs and symptoms of laparoscopic surgery complications may not occur until after a patient has been discharged home. It is important to immediately report to the physician any unexpected changes or symptoms.
