Veress needle insertion into the left hypochondrium for creation of pneumoperitoneum: diagnostic value of tests to determine the position of the needle in unselected patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the Veress needle puncture in the left hypochondrium and the accuracy of the tests described for the intraperitoneal correct positioning of the tip of the Veress needle in an unselected population. METHODS: Ninetyone patients consecutively scheduled for Videolaparoscopy had the abdominal wall punctured in the left hypochondrium. There were no exclusion criteria. The patients received general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation according to the protocol. After puncturing five tests were used to confirm the positioning of the needle tip within the peritoneal cavity: aspiration test--AT; resistance to infusion--Pres; recovery of the infused fluid--Prec, dripping test--DT, and test of initial intraperitoneal pressure--IIPP. The test results were compared with results from literature for groups with defined exclusion criteria. The results were used for calculating sensitivity (S) specificity (E), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Inferential statistical methods were used to analyze the findings. RESULTS: There were 13 failures. AT had E = 100% and NPV 100%. Pres had S = 100%, E = 0; PPV = 85.71%; NPV does not apply. Prec: S = 100%, E = 53.84%, PPV = 92.85%, NPV = 100%. DT: S = 100%, E = 61.53%, PPV = 93.97% NPV 100%. In IIPP, S, E, PPV and NPV were 100%. CONCLUSION: The puncture in the left hypochondrium is effective and the performed tests guide the surgeon regardless of sex, BMI, or previous laparotomy.

Creation of pneumoperitoneum: noninvasive monitoring of clinical effects of elevated intraperitoneal pressure for the insertion of the first trocar.

AIM: The aim of this work is to analyze, by means of noninvasive monitoring, the clinical effects of high intraperitoneal pressure for enough time to insert the first trocar. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients without significant lung problems were randomly divided into groups P12 (n = 30, maximum intraperitoneal pressure 12 mmHg) and P20 (n = 37, maximum intraperitoneal pressure 20 mmHg). A Veress needle was inserted into the left hypochondrium for creation of pneumoperitoneum. The parameters evaluated were heart rate (HR, in bpm), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO(2), expressed as percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen), end-tidal CO(2) (ETCO(2), in mmHg), mean arterial pressure (MAP, in mmHg), and intratracheal pressure (ITP, in cmH(2)O). Clinical parameters were evaluated in both groups at time point 0 (TP0, before CO(2) insufflation), time point 1 (TP1, when intraperitoneal pressure of 12 mmHg was reached in both groups), time point 2 (TP2, 5 min after reaching intraperitoneal pressure of 12 mmHg in group P12 and of 20 mmHg in group P20), and time point 3 (TP3, 10 min after reaching intraperitoneal pressure of 12 mmHg in group P12 and 10 min after TP1 in group P20, when intraperitoneal pressure decreased from 20 to 12 mmHg). Values outside of the normal range or occurrence of atypical phenomena suggestive of organic disease indicated clinical changes. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding HR, MAP, ETCO(2), and ITP. No significant clinical changes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Transitory, high intraperitoneal pressure (20 mmHg for 5 min) for insertion of the first trocar resulted in changes in HR, MAP, ETCO(2), and ITP that were within the normal range, and no adverse clinical effects were observed. Therefore, the use of transitory, high intraperitoneal pressure is recommended to prevent iatrogenic injury during blind insertion of the first trocar. Nevertheless, it is not clear that this method would be safe in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Injuries caused by Veress needle insertion for creation of pneumoperitoneum: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, risks, and outcomes of injuries caused by the Veress needle described in the literature. METHODS: Iatrogenic injuries caused by Veress needle insertion during diagnostic or therapeutic laparoscopies in humans were researched, with no language restriction, in the Medline, Lilacs, Embase, Scielo, and Cochrane Library databases. The following words were combined: "Veress" or "insufflation needle" or "pneumoperitoneum needle," and "complications" or "injuries" or "lesions." The bibliographic references of the selected articles were also analyzed. We considered the following: (1) number of injuries described in the literature, (2) relationship between number of injuries and number of patients who underwent Veress needle insertion in the studies that reported Veress needle injury, (3) organs and structures injured (retroperitoneal vessels, digestive tract, and self-limited, minor injuries), and (4) outcome (death, conversion to laparotomy, laparoscopic repair, spontaneous resolution). RESULTS: Thirty-eight selected articles included 696,502 laparoscopies, with 1,575 injuries (0.23%), 126 (8%) of which involved blood vessels or hollow viscera (0.018% of all laparoscopies). Of the 98 vascular injuries, 8 (8.1%) were injuries to major retroperitoneal vessels. There were 34 other reported retroperitoneal injuries, but the authors were not specific as to which vessel was injured. Of the 28 injuries to hollow viscera, 17 were considered major injuries, i.e., 60.7% (0.0024% of the total cases assessed). CONCLUSION: The insertion of the Veress needle in the abdominal midline, at the umbilicus, poses serious risk to the life of patients. Therefore, further studies should be conducted to investigate alternative sites for Veress needle insertion.

Comparative study of hand sewn single layer anastomosis of dog's bowel.

BACKGROUND: Two-layer intestinal anastomosis increases the inflammatory response while single-layer anastomosis results in a better wound healing. However the four main kinds of stitches which may be chosen in performing single layer intestinal sutures never before had been comparatively studied. AIM: To compare the four more commonly used types of single layer surgical anastomosis sutures of the digestive tract. METHODS: Six mongrel dogs were operated, each one receiving two anastomosis: one at 30 cm from de Treitz angle - sero-submucosal technique, and the other at 60 cm - total technique. This placement was alternatively inverted. The four more commonly used types of single layer surgical anastomosis sutures of the digestive tract, namely: sero-submucosal stitches tied in the lumen, over the submucosa; sero-submucosal stitches tied in the exterior of the organ, over the serosa; total stitches tied in the lumen, over the mucosa; and total sutures tied in the exterior, over the serosa (Gambee's stitches) were tested. After euthanasia (7th post-operative day) macro and microscopic features were evaluated. Friedman's test was applied for morphometry and for evaluation of the peritoneal adhesions. RESULTS: Statistical significance was demonstrated through major residual acute inflammation and proliferation in total sutures and more profuse adhesions with the sero-submucosal stitches tied in the lumen. The sero-submucosal stitches tied in the exterior over the serosa, had excellent realignment and regeneration of the layers. CONCLUSION: The sero-submucosal stitches tied in the exterior, over the serosa, were the best ones.