Ex lap
Medical abbreviation · Surgical
| Stands for | Exploratory laparotomy |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
Ex lap stands for Exploratory laparotomy, a surgical abbreviation.
Open operation through a large abdominal incision, usually in the midline, to find and treat the source of a problem such as internal bleeding, bowel perforation, obstruction or ischemia. It is a mainstay of trauma surgery when an unstable patient has abdominal injury.
Example: Hypotensive with a positive FAST: straight to the OR for ex lap.
Usage notes
In damage control surgery the team controls bleeding and contamination quickly, leaves the abdomen temporarily open and returns after resuscitation in the ICU. Diagnostic laparoscopy has replaced ex lap for some stable patients. Recovery from a laparotomy is longer than from laparoscopy, and incisional hernia is a common late complication.
Related abbreviations
More surgical abbreviations
- Cysto – Cystoscopy
- DIEP – Deep inferior epigastric perforator (flap)
- DOS – Day of surgery
- EBL – Estimated blood loss
- ERAS – Enhanced recovery after surgery
- EUA – Examination under anesthesia
- Ex-fix – External fixator
- Fem-pop – Femoral-popliteal (bypass)
- FESS – Functional endoscopic sinus surgery
- FS – Frozen section
- FTSG – Full-thickness skin graft
- HIPEC – Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
See all 51 surgical abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.