Emergent groin hernia repair: A single center 10-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Emergent groin hernia repair can be a challenging clinical scenario. We aimed to evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcomes of emergent groin hernia repair at our institution over the last 10 years, with particular interest in surgical approach and mesh use for such cases. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent emergent groin hernia repair from 2005-2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Outcomes included surgical site infections, perioperative complications, readmissions, reoperations, mortality, and long-term hernia recurrence. Predictors of surgical site infection and perioperative complications were investigated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 257 patients met inclusion criteria (62% males, median age 72). Hernias were most often indirect inguinal (40.9%) and femoral (33.5%), and 45 cases (17.5%) required a bowel resection. Laparoscopic repair was performed in 3 patients (1.2%). Synthetic mesh was placed in 70% of repairs but in only 15% of cases associated with a bowel resection. The medical complications rate was 16.7%; 3.6% had an surgical site infection, and 30-day mortality rate was 3.1%. Older age (odds ratio 1.05) and gross contamination (odds ratio 4.3) were independently associated with complications. Mesh use was not associated with surgical site infection (odds ratio 1.83, P = .49) or perioperative complications (odds ratio 1.02, P = .96). With a median follow-up of 43 months, there were no mesh infections and recurrence rates were similar between mesh and tissue repairs (6.3% vs 6.8%, P = .91). CONCLUSION: Emergent groin hernia repair has high rates of morbidity and mortality most closely associated with increasing age and the presence of contamination. Although mesh use appears to be well tolerated when used in the absence of contamination during emergent groin hernia repair, recurrence rates were similar to tissue repairs.

Hernia repair in patients with chronic liver disease - A 15-year single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Elective hernia repairs in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients are often avoided due to the fear of hepatic decompensation and mortality, leaving the patient susceptible to an emergent presentation. METHODS: CLD patients undergoing ventral or inguinal hernia repair in emergent and non-emergent settings at our institution (2001-2015) were analyzed. Predictors of 30-day morbidity and mortality (M&M) were determined using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 186 non-emergent repairs identified acceptable rates of M&M (27%) and 90-day mortality (3.7%, 0/21 for MELD≥15). Meanwhile, 67 emergent repairs had higher rates of M&M (60%) and 90-day mortality (10%; 25% for MELD≥15). M&M was associated with elevated MELD scores in emergent cases (14 ±â€¯6 vs 11 ±â€¯4; p = 0.01) and intraoperative drain placement in non-emergent cases (OR1.31,p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In patients with advanced CLD, non-emergent hernia repairs carry acceptable rates of M&M, while emergent repairs have increased M&M rates associated with higher MELD scores.

Association of Thoracic Epidural Pain Management with Urinary Retention after Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction.

The association of thoracic epidural analgesia and urinary retention after complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the presence of a thoracic epidural, timing of Foley catheter removal, and the rates of urinary retention and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in patients undergoing CAWR. All patients undergoing CAWR, who had an epidural catheter for postoperative pain management at our institution from September 2015 through April 2016, were prospectively followed. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 had their Foley catheters removed on postoperative day one, whereas Group 2 had their Foley catheters removed after epidural removal. The incidence of urinary retention and CAUTI were compared between the two groups. A total of 67 patients met inclusion criteria; 27 (40.3%) patients were in Group 1. Patients in Group 1 were significantly more likely to experience urinary retention requiring Foley catheter replacement (P = 0.02). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of CAUTI between the two groups (P = 0.51). Patients undergoing CAWR with thoracic epidural pain management are at risk of experiencing postoperative urinary retention. Foley catheter removal after epidural removal does not place the patient at an increased risk for CAUTI and therefore should be strongly considered in this patient population.