Laparostomy during pregnancy: A case report

Acute appendicitis is the main indication for surgery during pregnancy. Physiologic changes during pregnancy and fear of using ionising radiation exams are some of the reasons to delayed diagnosis and consequently to higher morbidity and mortality rates for mother and fetus.

We present the case of a 38-year-old woman that resorted to the emergency room on the 13th week of pregnancy with abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting that lasted for 7 days. She had been in the Obstetric Emergency Department 6 days prior with the same complaints. She had no fever and she was discharged home following normal obstetric ultrasound. On this second visit, after surgical consultation, septic shock with abdominal source was recognised and patient was taken for emergency exploratory laparotomy. Intraoperatively we found generalised purulent peritonitis secondary to perforated acute appendicitis. Appendectomy, thorough abdominal washing and laparostomy were performed. Patient was admitted on the Intensive Care Unit with septic shock, need for vasopressor therapy and dialysis. Four days after the first intervention the abdominal cavity was closed. She was discharged home on the 14th post-operative day and maintained obstetric follow-up for the remaining uncomplicated pregnancy.

In the presented clinical case, diagnostic delay evolves to abdominal sepsis that demanded a damage control approach. Laparostomy constitutes a damage control gesture, limiting abdominal contamination, preventing abdominal compartment syndrome and allowing subsequent surgical revisions.

Acute abdominal approach using laparostomy allowed for a good outcome, maintaining ongoing pregnancy and with incisional hernia as the only observed morbidity.