Safe Veress Needle Intraperitoneal Placement and Safer Laparoscopic Entry

Fifty percent of laparoscopic bowel and vascular injuries occur at the time of entry. These serious complications can lead to significant morbidity and even mortality. This video demonstrates 3 techniques that have been developed to minimize the risk of these injuries during entry.

Step-by-step description of 3 techniques that can be used as a highly reliable and safe method of obtaining intraperitoneal entry during laparoscopy.

Caudal displacement of the umbilicus before insertion of the veress needle allows for a median displacement of 6 cm between the site of entry and the common iliac vessels. An entry pressure of less than 9 mm Hg is suggestive of successful intraperitoneal entry. The left upper quadrant should be used in specific cases instead of the umbilicus as the point of entry for the veress needle. The use of a visualized trocarless cannula instead of a conventional primary trocar for entry after insufflation allows for real-time recognition of injury and converts linear penetrating force to radial torque.

These 3 techniques can help decrease the risk and improve intraoperative recognition of serious bowel and vascular injuries during laparoscopy.