Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: As surgeons become more experienced with basic laparoscopic procedures like cholecystectomy, they are able to expand this approach to less common operations. However, without laparoscopic suturing skills, like those obtained with Nissen fundoplication, many operations cannot be completed laparoscopically. We present a series of 10 patients with less common surgical illnesses who were successfully treated with minimal access techniques and intracorporeal suturing. METHODS: Over a 6-month period at 2 medical centers, 10 patients underwent operations with laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing and knot tying. Diagnoses included bowel obstruction due to gallstone ileus (n=1), perforated uterus from an intrauterine device (n=1), urinary bladder diverticulum (n=1), bleeding Meckel's diverticulum (n=3), and perforated duodenal ulcer (n=4). RESULTS: Each patient was treated with standard surgical interventions performed entirely laparoscopically with intracorporeal suturing. No morbidity or mortality occurred in any patient due to the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Although each of these operations has been previously reported, as a series, they point out the importance of mastering laparoscopic suturing. Although devices are commercially available to facilitate certain suturing scenarios, we encourage residents and fellows to sew manually. We believe that none of these operations could have been completed as effectively by using a suture device. The ability to suture laparoscopically markedly broadens the number of clinical scenarios in which minimal access techniques can be used.

BACKGROUND: Delay in the diagnosis of intraabdominal pathology is a major contributor to the morbidity and mortality of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Laparoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool that can be used safely and efficiently in the evaluation of intraabdominal processes that may be difficult to diagnose with conventional methods. Our goal was to show that laparoscopy performed at the bedside in the ICU could be used as a routine diagnostic tool in the evaluation of critically ill patients, just as computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), and radiography are. METHODS: We present 11 patients who underwent 12 bedside examinations in the ICU of a community teaching hospital. Several different surgeons with varying degrees of laparoscopic experience performed these procedures over a 1-year period. RESULTS: Four patients had previously undergone recent abdominal operations. Nontherapeutic laparotomy was avoided in six patients because of diagnostic laparoscopy. One patient also underwent a therapeutic maneuver at the time of diagnostic laparoscopy. None of the patients required general anesthesia, although local anesthetics and sedation with midazolam or propofol were used. One patient underwent the procedure without endotracheal intubation. There were no complications or mortalities directly related to the procedure. CONCLUSION: We conclude that bedside laparoscopy in the ICU under local anesthesia is a diagnostic and potentially therapeutic tool that can be used safely in the work-up of potential abdominal pathology in critically ill patients.