Fundoplication—Laparoscopic Surgery Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

If you are planning to have fundoplication, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Infection
• Bleeding
• Difficulty swallowing
• Return of reflux symptoms
• Limited ability to burp or vomit
• Gas pains
• Damage to organs
• Anesthesia-related problems

In rare cases, the procedure may need to be repeated. This may happen if the wrap was too tight, the wrap slips, or if a new hernia forms.

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Pre-existing heart or lung conditions
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Prior upper abdominal surgery

Call Your Doctor

After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the incision site
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Increased swelling or pain in the abdomen
• Difficulty swallowing that does not improve
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Pain, burning, urgency or frequency of urination, or persistent bleeding in the urine
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Any other new symptoms

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.