Abstract

PIP: With reference to your correspondence (September 27, p. 764, and December 27, p. 760) regarding laparoscopy explosion hazards with nitrous oxide, in our experience this is not substantiated. In the last 18 months we have done some 123 laparoscopies in the Medical City Hospital, Baghdad. We have done 16 sterilizations by tubal diathermy and not fewer than 12 cases where biopsies were taken from ovaries in case of tuberculosis or for other reasons, where diathermy was used. In all our laparoscopy procedures we always used nitrous oxide gas because carbon dioxide cylinders are difficult to otain. We did not have any incident of explosion, and most of our patients stayed in hospital not more than 24 hours postoperatively, during which time no complications were reported. None of these cases was readmitted for any complications. It seems to us that the hazard of explosion with nitrous oxide is more theoretical than real.