Significant detrimental intra-operative hemodynamic and respiratory changes occur in the morbidly obese during laparoscopic gastric bypass. Design: Case series. Setting: Tertiary care university hospital. Patients: Thirteen patients, 10 women and 3 men, undergoing uncomplicated laparoscopic gastric bypass for morbid obesity. Interventions: Using a pulmonary artery catheter and an arterial line, we intraoperatively monitored hemodynamic and respiratory parameters. Parameter values were recorded at set points of the procedure, and the changes were statistically analyzed. Results: Significant hemodynamic and respiratory changes, mostly unfavorable, occur in the morbidly obese

We report a case of acute small bowel obstruction occurring secondary to endometriosis of the terminal ileum. Ileal endometriosis is a rare condition that can cause acute small bowel obstruction. As this case and others in the literature highlight, establishing a preoperative diagnosis is very difficult due to the vagueness of symptoms and similarity in presentation to other causes of obstruction, and is based on a high index of suspicion. However, this disorder should be considered in the differential diagnosis of women of child-bearing age who present with symptoms of obstruction. The definitive treatment includes resection of the involved segment with primary anastomosis, and adjuvant hormonal therapy may prevent recurrence.

Bowel injury (BI) is a complication of open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery associated with increased morbidity and mortality. If BI is missed at the time it occurs, it can have devastating consequences. Electrosurgery is used extensively in laparoscopic surgery and can cause thermal injuries that are harder to detect than mechanical injuries and may evolve over time. The medical literature of the past 10 years was searched for large series and compilation studies reporting overall incidence of and mortality from BI in laparoscopy, and the results of seven relevant articles, which included over 300,000 procedures, were analyzed and tabulated. The literature was then reviewed for additional information about the specific incidence and outcome of missed BI and the role of electrosurgical thermal sources in causing BI. BI is underreported, frequently missed at surgery, and results in significant morbidity and mortality that can be ground for malpractice claims against the surgeon. Thermal injury from electrosurgical instruments may be involved in a number of injuries in laparoscopic surgery. Nearly undetectable partial-thickness thermal injury may play a role in the atypical and delayed presentation of some cases of BI.

Background and Objectives:Percutaneous cholecystostomy is currently indicated for patients with cholecystitis who might be poor candidates for operative cholecystectomy. We performed a study to evaluate the long-term outcome of patients undergoing emergent tube cholecystostomy.Methods:This study was a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent tube cholecystostomy from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2012.Results:During the study period, 82 patients underwent 125 cholecystostomy tube placements. Four patients (5%) died during the year after tube placement. The mean hospital length of stay for survivors was 8.8 days (range, 1–59 days). Twenty-eight patients (34%) required at least 1 additional percutaneous procedure (range, 1–6) for gallbladder drainage. Twenty-nine patients (34%) ultimately underwent cholecystectomy. Surgery was performed a mean of 7 weeks after cholecystostomy tube placement. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 25 operative patients but required conversion to an open approach in 8 cases (32%). In another 4 cases, planned open cholecystectomy was performed. Major postoperative complications were limited to 2 patients with postoperative common bile duct obstruction requiring endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, 1 patient requiring a return to the operating room for hemoperitoneum, and 2 patients with bile leak from the cystic duct stump.Conclusions:In high-risk patients receiving cholecystostomy tubes for acute cholecystitis, only about one third will undergo surgical cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed in this circumstance has a higher rate of conversion to open surgery and higher hepatobiliary morbidity rate.