All surgical procedures have risks, but the risk for serious complications depends on your medical condition and age, as well as on your surgeon’s and anesthesiologist’s experience. Ask your doctor or surgeon about what to expect after surgery as well as the risks that may occur with any surgery, including:^1,2

• Reactions to medications or anesthesia
• Problems breathing
• Bleeding
• Infection 
• Blood clots in the veins or lungs
• Death (rare)

Addtionally,  conventional surgery has a greater potential for:

• Muscle injury
• Post-operative incisional hernia

For some patients, MIP is not an appropriate choice.  Your surgeon will help you determine the best choice for you and will consider factors such as:

• Obesity
• History of prior abdominal surgery causing dense scar tissue
• Inability to safely visualize organs
• Bleeding problems during the operation  
• Underlying medical conditions

The decision to perform MIP or conventional surgery should be made during a discussion with  your surgeon. Sometimes a procedure can start out as MIP, but may have to be converted to conventional surgery based on the factors listed above.

Only your doctor can decide if MIP for appendectomy is right for you.  Find out which questions to ask your doctor.