Delayed presentation of a bowel Bovie injury after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

Bowel injury during laparoscopic surgery is a rare but serious complication. A Bovie injury to the bowel can cause delayed perforation of the viscus, thus increasing the possibility of a preventable morbidity. Patients presenting with perforation peritonitis within 24 hours and up to 2 to 3 weeks after laparoscopic Bovie injury to the bowel have been reported in the literature.

A 74-year-old woman underwent a laparoscopic ventral hernia mesh repair. Intraoperatively, a small area of superficial Bovie injury to the small bowel was repaired with Lembert sutures and tissue glue. Postoperatively, the patient recovered well, but she presented with perforation peritonitis 3 months after surgery. An exploratory laparotomy showed a jejunal perforation in the same area that was injured with cautery and repaired during the previous surgery. The patient was only using inhaled steroids for asthma on and off but had a remote history of chemotherapy and radiation for colorectal cancer.

Bovie injury to the bowel has a hidden depth, causing a slow transmural tissue necrosis, and it might also impair local healing and eventually lead to perforation. Thus, the patient may present later than the usual period for wound healing and remodeling as previously reported. Given the disastrous consequence, it is imperative to perform a good surgical repair of even a minor Bovie injury to the bowel. This is the first report of a delayed presentation (>1 month) of a Bovie injury of the bowel.