Laparotomy

Laparotomy is the medical term for a type of open surgery of the abdomen. It allows surgeons to view the abdominal organs to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions.

A laparotomy is like a laparoscopy, but your doctor makes a bigger cut in your tummy and doesn’t use a camera. Again, this lets your doctor check for abnormal changes. A laparotomy can sometimes lead to more surgery, depending on what your doctor finds.

A laparotomy might be needed to look for problems in the abdomen or internal organs, or to treat a particular condition. For example, it might be done to find out why you have abdominal (tummy) pain, if you have an injury to your abdomen, to look at the spread of certain diseases such as endometriosis and cancer.

Emergency laparotomy patients are different in pathology and surgical urgency. Mortality rates following emergency laparotomy ranges from 13% to 18% which is five times greater than high-risk elective surgery. In addition, major complication rates are as high as 50%.

In this study, laparotomy is defined as a surgical procedure involving an incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity other than cesarean section. Its use is indicative of severe maternal outcome and may be applied as a quality marker for obstetric care 

Average mortality rate after emergency laparotomies range from 10% to 18% in different studies which is much higher than elective surgeries.

A craniectomy is a type of brain surgery and one of the riskiest surgeries. This medical procedure involves the removal of part of your skull to relieve any pressure on your brain. Although modern technology means it is a more common procedure, it is still very risky.