What is laparotomy?

Laparotomy is literally "cut in the abdomen", usually across the side. This surgery can be performed diagnostically or therapeutically depending on the patient's situation and usually a general surgeon is performed. When laparotomy is performed, the patient is given general anesthesia because the procedure is quite invasive and the patient would be very comfortable if he was awake. This type of exploratory surgery can be used to find the cause of the health problem, learn more about abnormalities observed in medical imaging studies, and to treat problems such as gunshot wounds and bleeding in which the abdomen needs to be opened to see the source of the problem and fix. In some cases, a general surgeon can work with a specialist such as an oncologist, so abnormalities can be seen during laparotomy immediately.

In therapeutic laparotomy, cuts to obtain access to the abdomen for the purpose of medical procedureu. In some cases, it is possible to perform a laparoscopic procedure in which the tools are inserted by small cuts into the skin and the inside of the abdomen is perceived by the camera. This option is much less invasive, but it may be limiting for the surgeon and there may be situations where laparoscopy is planned, but the surgeon must eventually perform laparotomy to see more clearly or remove the patient tissue.

Before laparotomy, the patient will be asked and tests will be performed to confirm that he is a good candidate for surgery. The surgeon encounters the patient to speak of the reason for the procedure and potential complications that may occur, and the apartment also encounters an anaesthesiologist who will administer anesthesia. After the procedure, the patient will be taken to the recovery area and monitored.

recovery time from laparotomy can be extensive because the cut can be quite large. Pain treatment is very important, especially in the first days, and may be obliged to rest from the patient to prevent cutting.Normally, temporary treatment of the patient's diet is performed and he or she is carefully monitored for signs of infection and other complications.