Major vascular injury after laparoscopic tubal ligation

Laparoscopy has become an established approach with diverse applications in both diagnostic and therapeutic surgical procedures. In general, the procedure is safe and effective and offers the advantage of being less invasive than conventional surgery. Complications after laparoscopy are uncommon but among them major vascular injury is potentially the most fatal, with recognition or mortality typically occurring intra-operatively or in the immediate post-operative period. We report the case of a delayed emergency department presentation of a major vascular injury after an elective laparoscopic tubal ligation. The prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiolgy and management of major vascular injury after laparoscopic surgery is discussed.