Laparoscopy

Procedure Description

1. For performing laparoscopy, the surgeon uses an instrument called a laparoscope. A laparoscope consists of a small tube with a camera and light source that helps observe images within your abdomen or pelvis. The surgeon observes these images on a television monitor.
2. After you are anaesthetised, the surgeon will perform laparoscopy in the following steps:
3. Make a small cut (1-1.5 cm) just below your belly button and a few more cuts at your pubic hairline to use other surgical tools (if laparoscopy is performed to treat any condition).
4. Insert a tube and pump carbon dioxide inside your abdomen. Carbon dioxide will swell up your abdominal area and make it easy for the surgeon to observe your internal body parts.
5. Insert a laparoscope through the tube and observe the internal body parts with the help of images relayed by the laparoscope on the television.
6. Remove the laparoscope, carbon dioxide, and other surgical tools.
7. Close the surgery site using stitches, clips, surgical staples, or tape.
8. Apply a sterile bandage, adhesive strips, or dressing.
9. If laparoscopy is performed only to observe your internal body parts and diagnose a condition, the procedure will be completed in 30-60 minutes. However, if laparoscopy is performed to remove an organ or treat any conditions, the surgery time will be longer.

What to Expect Before Surgery?

1. Ask you to stop consuming medications that cause blood thinning to prevent too much bleeding during surgery[3,12]
2. Suggest using an oral laxative (stool softener) so that your bowels are empty during the surgery[3]
3. Ask you to stomoking as it delays healing after surgery and increases complications (e.g., infection)[12]
4. Ask you to remove the piercing near your belly button (if any)
5. Ask you to wear loose-fitting clothes and low-heeled shoes on the day of surgery
6. For laparoscopy, your anaesthesiologist will suggest general anaesthesia. General anaesthesia is a medication that makes you unconscious during the surgery so that you do not feel any pain.

What to Expect on the Day of Surgery?

1. On the day of your laparoscopy surgery, you will meet someone from the healthcare team who:
2. May administer an enema in your large intestine and rectum that will help to clean your bowels before the surgery
3. May give you an antibiotic medication[3]
4. Carbon dioxide gas will be inserted into the abdomen to swell it up and make it easier for the surgeon to see organs and other structures.[3,12]

What to Expect During Surgery?

1. The healthcare staff will insert a tube called a urinary catheter that will remove your urine.[3]
2. Position during Surgery:
3. For laparoscopy, you will be kept in a slightly tilted position where your head will be at a lower angle than your feet.[5]
4. Cleaning and draping:
5. A sterile or antiseptic solution will be used to clean your surgical site [3]
6. Other than your surgical site, the rest of your body will be draped to reduce the risk of infection.[13]
7. While under anaesthesia, your anaesthesiologist will constantly check your breathing, amount of oxygen in your blood, heart rate, and blood pressure.[3]