Basic Laparoscopic Surgery: Abdominal Access and Trocar Introduction

This Basic Laparoscopic Surgery: Abdominal Access and Trocar Introduction course will teach you the steps of Laparoscopic Surgery. View the full course for free by signing up on our website: https://www.incision.care/

What is Laparoscopic Surgery:
Laparoscopic surgery describes procedures performed using one or multiple small incisions in the abdominal wall in contrast to the larger, normally singular incision of laparotomy. The technique is based around principles of minimally invasive surgery (or minimal access surgery): a large group of modern surgical procedures carried out by entering the body with the smallest possible damage to tissues. In abdominopelvic surgery, minimally invasive surgery is generally treated as synonymous with laparoscopic surgery as are procedures not technically within the peritoneal cavity, such as totally extraperitoneal hernia repair, or extending beyond the abdomen, such as thoraco-laparoscopic esophagectomy. The term laparoscopy is sometimes used interchangeably, although this is often reserved to describe a visual examination of the peritoneal cavity or the purely scopic component of a laparoscopic procedure. The colloquial keyhole surgery is common in non-medical usage.

Surgical Objective of Laparoscopic Surgery:
The objective of a laparoscopic approach is to minimize surgical trauma when operating on abdominal or pelvic structures. When correctly indicated and performed, this can result in smaller scars, reduced postoperative morbidity, shorter inpatient durations, and a faster return to normal activity. For a number of abdominopelvic procedures, a laparoscopic approach is now generally considered to be the gold-standard treatment option.
Definitions

Developments of Laparoscopic Surgery:
Following a number of smaller-scale applications of minimally invasive techniques to abdominopelvic surgery, laparoscopic surgery became a major part of general surgical practice with the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the 1980s and the subsequent pioneering of endoscopic camera technology. This led to the widespread adoption of the technique by the early- to mid-1990s. The portfolio of procedures that can be performed laparoscopically has rapidly expanded with improvements in instruments, imaging, techniques and training — forming a central component of modern surgical practice and cross-specialty curricula [2]. Techniques such as laparoscopically assisted surgery and hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery have allowed the application of laparoscopic techniques to a greater variety of pathology. Single-incision laparoscopic surgery, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, and minilaparoscopy-assisted natural orifice surgery continue to push forward the applications of minimally invasive abdominopelvic techniques; however, the widespread practice and specific indications for these remain to be fully established. More recently, robotic surgery has been able to build on laparoscopic principles through developments in visualization, ergonomics, and instrumentation.

This Basic Laparoscopic Surgery: Abdominal Access and Trocar Introduction course will teach you:
- How to access the abdomen using an open, closed, and direct optical-entry technique
- Principles underlying safe abdominal insufflation
- The vascular anatomy of the abdominal wall and its implications for trocar placement
- How to introduce trocars into the peritoneal cavity
- The principle of triangulation and how this can be applied to organizing a laparoscopic surgical field

Specific attention is given to these hazards you may encounter:
- Intravascular, intraluminal, or extraperitoneal needle position
- Limitations of a closed introduction technique
- Abdominal surgical history
- Limitations of an open introduction technique
- Optical trocar entry in thin individuals
- Visualization of non-midline structures
- Limitations of direct optical-entry techniques
- Limitations of clinical examination to confirm intraperitoneal insufflation
- Leakage of insufflation gas

These tips are designed to help you improve your understanding and performance:
- Alternative left upper quadrant approach
- Testing Veress needle before use
- Lifting the abdominal wall for Veress needle introduction
- "Hanging-drop test"
- Palmer's test
- Confirming intra-abdominal insufflation
- Subcutaneous tissue retraction
- Anatomy of the umbilicus
- Retraction of abdominal wall fascia
- Finger sweep of anterior abdominal wall
- Lifting the abdominal wall for optical trocar introduction
- Identification of venous bleeding at the end of a procedure
- Identification of inferior epigastric vessels by direct vision
- Peritoneal folds of the anterior abdominal wall
- Transillumination of superficial epigastric vessels
- Infiltration of local anesthetic at port sites
- Aiming of trocars
- Selection of trocar size
- Maintaining direct vision