Laparoscopic Repair of Perforated Peptic Ulcers: The Sutured Omental Patch and Focused Sequential Lavage Technique

We propose a standardized technique of repair and lavage with the outcomes of 50 consecutive patients treated at our institution. The perforation was closed primarily and reinforced with omental patch. It was then followed by peritoneal lavage in a focused sequential manner that involved quadrant to quadrant lavage with tilting of operating table and changing of position between the surgeon and the camera surgeon. None of our patients had postoperative intra-abdominal complications, but unfortunately 1 patient succumbed to respiratory complications. Respiratory complications was the most common postoperative complication in our series (9 patients), whereas 2 patients had ileus. There were no leaks or reoperations in our series. Laparoscopic repair and sutured omentoplasty, followed by focused sequential lavage in a systematic manner, if performed diligently, will yield good outcomes.