Role of Emergency Laparoscopy in Surgical and Endoscopic Complications

Laparoscopic surgery in emergency settings is a standard practice worldwide; however, its utility when treating surgical or endoscopic complications has not been well established. The number of procedures managed by minimally invasive techniques in these situations has increased in the last decades, especially after colorectal, hepatobiliary, and appendectomy procedures. Explorative laparoscopy is an alternative to conventional laparotomy for patients with suspected early abdominal complications, if hemodynamically stable. The surgical options include proper lavage and drainage of the abdominal cavity, drainage of fluid collection, controlling postoperative bleeding, lysis of adherences, or bowel suture/resection. A mini-invasive approach reduces postoperative pain and the time to recovery and improves cosmetics. Iatrogenic injuries to abdominal organs are the major drawback of these procedures. Patient selection is extremely important in the emergency setting to increase this approach’s success rates.