• Gary Swift, Martin Healey, Nesrin Varol, Peter Maher, and David Hill.
• Endosurgery Unit, Mercy Hospital for Women, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2002 Aug 1;42(3):267-70.

ObjectiveTo assess the effects on patient discomfort of an intraabdominal passive gas drain left for four hours postoperatively following gynaecologic laparoscopic surgery.DesignA prospective randomised double-blinded placebo controlled trial.SettingUniversity tertiary hospital and private hospital.Population Or SampleEighty women having a laparoscopic gynaecological procedure for benign disease.MethodsA drain was placed via the umbilical port at the conclusion of the surgical procedure and was removed four hours postoperatively. The researcher, assessor and patient were all blinded as to the patency or occlusion of the drain. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires at regular intervals up to five days postoperatively.Main Outcome MeasuresVisual analogue scale (VAS) to assess overall pain, shoulder and chest pain, abdominal pain, bloating and energy prior to surgery and at intervals up to five days postoperatively.Results And ConclusionsNo complications were attributed to the presence and withdrawal of the drain tube. Shoulder pain following operative or diagnostic laparoscopy was significantly reduced for 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours by the presence of a patent passive gas drain for the first four hours postoperatively. The drains were easy to use and had no associated morbidity We recommend that in the absence of the need for an active drain, all patients undergoing laparoscopy should have a gas drain inserted for a period of four hours after the completion of the procedure.

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