Critical Care Management of Bariatric Surgery Complications

Postprocedural Gastrointestinal Emergencies

Postprocedural complications encompass a wide array of conditions that vary in acuity, symptoms, index procedure, and treatment. Continued advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures have led to a significant shift of procedures to the ambulatory setting. This trend is of particular interest to the emergency physician, as patients who develop complications often present to an emergency department for evaluation and treatment. Here the authors examine a high-yield collection of procedures, both ambulatory and inpatient, notable for their frequent utilization and unique complication profiles including common laparoscopic surgical procedures, bariatric surgery, endoscopic procedures, interventional radiology procedures, and hernia repairs with implantable mesh.