Economics of abdominal wall reconstruction

Surgical mesh for ventral incisional hernia repairs: Understanding mesh design

Surgical mesh has become an indispensable tool in hernia repair to improve outcomes and reduce costs; however, efforts are constantly being undertaken in mesh development to overcome postoperative complications. Common complications include infection, pain, adhesions, mesh extrusion and hernia recurrence. Reducing the complications of mesh implantation is of utmost importance given that hernias occur in hundreds of thousands of patients per year in the United States. In the present review, the authors present the different types of hernia meshes, discuss the key properties of mesh design, and demonstrate how each design element affects performance and complications. The present article will provide a basis for surgeons to understand which mesh to choose for patient care and why, and will explain the important technological aspects that will continue to evolve over the ensuing years.

The economic burden of incisional ventral hernia repair: a multicentric cost analysis

PURPOSE

A systematic review of literature led us to take note that little was known about the costs of incisional ventral hernia repair (IVHR).

METHODS

Therefore we wanted to assess the actual costs of IVHR. The total costs are the sum of direct (hospital costs) and indirect (sick leave) costs. The direct costs were retrieved from a multi-centric cost analysis done among a large panel of 51 French public hospitals, involving 3239 IVHR. One hundred and thirty-two unitary expenditure items were thoroughly evaluated by the accountants of a specialized public agency (ATIH) dedicated to investigate the costs of the French Health Care system. The indirect costs (costs of the post-operative inability to work and loss of profit due to the disruption in the ongoing work) were estimated from the data the Hernia Club registry, involving 790 patients, and over a large panel of different Collective Agreements.

RESULTS

The mean total cost for an IVHR in France in 2011 was estimated to be 6451€, ranging from 4731€ for unemployed patients to 10,107€ for employed patients whose indirect costs (5376€) were slightly higher than the direct costs.

CONCLUSION

Reducing the incidence of incisional hernia after abdominal surgery with 5 % for instance by implementation of the European Hernia Society Guidelines on closure of abdominal wall incisions, or maybe even by use of prophylactic mesh augmentation in high risk patients could result in a national cost savings of 4 million Euros.

Surgical mesh for ventral incisional hernia repairs: Understanding mesh design

Surgical mesh has become an indispensable tool in hernia repair to improve outcomes and reduce costs; however, efforts are constantly being undertaken in mesh development to overcome postoperative complications. Common complications include infection, pain, adhesions, mesh extrusion and hernia recurrence. Reducing the complications of mesh implantation is of utmost importance given that hernias occur in hundreds of thousands of patients per year in the United States. In the present review, the authors present the different types of hernia meshes, discuss the key properties of mesh design, and demonstrate how each design element affects performance and complications. The present article will provide a basis for surgeons to understand which mesh to choose for patient care and why, and will explain the important technological aspects that will continue to evolve over the ensuing years.

Synthetic Mesh Repair for Incisional Hernia Treatment in High-risk Patients for Surgical Site Occurrences

Patients with incisional hernias (IH) and risk factors for surgical site occurrences (SSOs) such as defined comorbidities and/or potential contaminations are considered to be treated with bioprosthetics. A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who had undergone elective IH repair with synthetic mesh materials between 2009 and 2013 was conducted. Only patients who were classified into Grades II and III according to the classification of the Ventral Hernia Working Group (VHWG) were considered for the study. Primary outcome parameter was the incidence of SSO. The relationships among demographics, hernia characteristics, surgical technique, and SSOs were also evaluated. Overall, 108 patients were included (Grade II: 68, Grade III: 40). SSO was identified in 14 patients. Having two or more comorbidities ( P = 0.04), an open sublay technique ( P = 0.005), duration of operation ( P = 0.02), larger hernia defects ( P = 0.001), and using larger mesh sizes ( P = 0.01) were associated with significantly higher rates of SSO. Affiliation to VHWG Grading II or III showed no impact on SSO occurrence. Synthetic mesh repair both in an “open sublay” and laparoscopic intraperitoneal technique is safe regarding patients with risk factors for SSO. The recommendations of the VHWG must be declined and a modification of the grading system is warranted overlooking a more liberal use of synthetic meshes.

Analysis of perioperative factors associated with increased cost following abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR)

BACKGROUND

Ventral hernias are a common, challenging, and expensive problem for both the general and reconstructive surgeons; therefore, the aim of this study is to critically assess perioperative factors related to cost in abdominal wall reconstructions (AWR).

METHODS

A retrospective review of AWR patients from 2007 and 2012 was performed. Analysis of perioperative factors associated with total cost of reconstruction was performed. Linear regression analyses were used to assess independent predictors of total cost.

RESULTS

134 consecutive AWR performed by a single surgeon over a 5-year period at an academic teaching center were included. The average total cost of AWR was $61,251 ± 55,624. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that diabetes (P = 0.026), increased American Society of Anesthesiologists score (P = 0.002), preoperative anemia (P = 0.001), and hernias derived from trauma (P = 0.015) were independently associated with added cost in AWR when controlling for confounding variables. In addition, patients requiring intra-abdominal procedures (P = 0.012) and those receiving an AWR using Acellular Dermal Matrix (P = 0.015) accrued significantly greater cost. Interestingly, preoperative placement of an epidural (P = 0.011) was independently associated with significant cost savings and reduced medical morbidity. Major surgical complications (P < 0.001) and length of stay (P < 0.001) were independently associated with increased cost following AWR.

CONCLUSION

We present a critical assessment of cost in AWR at a major academic teaching hospital and quantify the impact of reconstruction in the setting of medical morbidities and reconstructive complexities. The data from this study can be used to adjust reimbursement schemes and to critically assess the cost-benefit of performing AWR.