Unexpected fatal outcome of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair

In this paper we report the autopsy findings of a long-term warfarinized 60-year-old man who died unexpectedly 2 days after undergoing laparoscopic transabdominal pre-peritoneal (TAPP) inguinal hernia repair. In his medical records it was stated that the perioperative and postoperative period was uneventful with no sign of bleeding and he was discharged the day after surgery. Autopsy revealed massive bleeding in the pre-peritoneal space at the surgery site and a massive left inguinal canal hematoma spreading through the spermatic cord to the left scrotum. There was no evidence of retroperitoneal bleeding. No sign of traumatic injury to the abdominal wall, major abdominal and pelvic vessels was revealed. The cause of death was hemorrhagic shock. We believe that this is the first documented case of fatal outcome after TAPP inguinal hernia repair in Slovakia. Inguinal hernias account for approximately two-thirds of all abdominal wall hernias. The reported case demonstrates that routine procedures such as TAPP hernia repair can have a fatal outcome, not due to any surgical mishap but because of the altered health status of the patient.