surgeon knicked my liver...anyone else go through this?

Hi.
My surgeon knicked my liver during my RNY.  He told my husband he packed it and its nothing to worry about.  A friend of mine works as a nurse in the OR and she said it could be troublesome in the future. 

My question...anyone else go through this and did you have any side effects from it?

I did not go through this but I would research it and make sure everything will be ok. Good luck to you.

Knicking the liver is always a possibility and that is why some surgeons require a liquid diet before surgery to shrink the liver. I have even heard of surgeons closing patients back up without doing surgery if the liver indicates that they didn't follow the liquid diet to shrink it. I'm afraid I dont know the consequences of having a knick in your liver but I do know that the liver can repair itself and regrow sometimes, depending on the situation. It might be a good question to ask of your PCP.

Karen

If you did not have immediate problems I disagree with the thinking it should be a problem in the future. That is like saying a paper cut might begin to re-bleed 4 months from now. Silly thinking.

If you do not have problems this far out, you are fine.

Liver lacerations are a known complication of abdominal surgery.

I had my liver nicked during gallbladder surgery.  The surgeon said she stuck some durabond on it and I was good to go.  She was right.  I never had a problem, and that was years ago.

I get My RNY done 5-7 and they are going to take a biopsy of my liver the same time. So it should be fine. My doctor is a main surgeon at the hospital too not just WL.
Juli

My surgeon has people go on a 2 week very strict and balanced diet (kinda reminds me of the old Richard Simmons Deal a Meal plan) and clear liquids the day prior to surgery.

I pretty much agreed that it would heal itself but just wondered how others healed from it

Thanks for all your input!!

I would not worry much about it. I had to have over half my liver removed in 1990. I had some problems for a few months afterwards with it, but now it is fine. If I had no trouble the last 20 years from something that intense, I am sure a nick is not going to bother you down the road if you have had no troubles lately.

RN of almost 23 years here. (Most of it in surgery ICU)

The liver is a very bloody organ. And an obese person has a bigger and slippery organ.

That said, liver biopsy involves a cut and a chunk. The put a little 'glue' on it and send you on your way.

You will be fine. Any uncontrolled bleeding would have manifested already.

As someone else mentioned, it is a known risk and was on your consent that you signed.

Good luck and take care! 

My surgeon routinely does a liver biopsy and he said some of the post-op pain I had was from that procedure.

I would certainly want to know exactly what happened in surgery and what to expect in the future.  And I wouldn't trust that surgeon to tell you.