Should routine surgical wound drainage after ventral hernia repair be avoided? A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

To evaluate outcomes of drain use vs. no-drain use during ventral hernia repair.

METHODS

A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane database, The Virtual Health Library, Clinical trials.gov and Science Direct. Studies comparing use of drains with no-drain during ventral hernia repair (primary or incisional) were included. Wound-related complications, operative time, need for mesh removal and early recurrence were the evaluated outcome parameters.

RESULTS

Eight studies reporting a total number of two thousand four hundred and sixty-eight patients (drain group = 1214; no-drain group = 1254) were included. The drain group had a significantly higher rate of surgical site infections (SSI) and longer operative time compared with the no-drain group [odds ratio (OR): 1.63, P = 0.01] and [mean difference (MD): 57.30, P = 0.007], respectively. Overall wound-related complications [OR: 0.95, P = 0.88], seroma formation [OR: 0.66, P = 0.24], haematoma occurrence [OR: 0.78, P = 0.61], mesh removal [OR: 1.32, P = 0.74] and early hernia recurrence [OR: 1.10, P = 0.94] did not differ significantly between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

The available evidence does not seem to support the routine use of surgical drains during primary or incisional ventral hernia repairs. They are associated with increased rates of SSIs and longer total operative time with no significant advantage in terms of wound-related complications.

Poor Metabolic Profile Is an Independent Risk Factor for Recurrence After Hiatal Hernia Repair When Using Tension-Free Mesh

Purpose: The effect of metabolic risk factors on the recurrence rate of hiatal hernia (HH) after the initial repair is still controversial. In this study, we evaluated whether a poor preoperative metabolic profile is a risk factor for the recurrence of a HH after surgery. Methods: Perioperative patient data were obtained from hospital records. A poor metabolic profile was defined as having two or more metabolic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or being overweight. The recurrence rates of HH were measured at 6 months, and again at 12 months after surgery. Results: Data were collected from a total of 221 patients. While 87 (39.4%) patients underwent tension-free mesh (TFM) repair, 137 (60.6%) were treated with suture repair. The poor metabolic profile has no effect on the recurrence rates in the suture-repair group. However, patients who underwent TFM repair displayed a significantly higher recurrence rate at the 12-month time point if they had poor metabolic profile, compared to the healthy group (respectively, 20.7% and 3.4%, P < .01). The logistic regression analysis showed that having a poor metabolic profile was an independent risk factor for recurrence after 12 months in the same group (odds ratio: 8.04 confidence interval [CI: 1.2-53.5] P = .03). Conclusion: The poor metabolic profile was found to be responsible for high recurrence rates only in patients who underwent TFM HH repair.

Favourable outcomes after Retro-Rectus (Rives-Stoppa) Mesh Repair as Treatment for Non-Complex Ventral Abdominal Wall Hernia, a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess prevalence of hernia recurrence, surgical site infection (SSI), seroma, serious complications, and mortality after retro-rectus repair.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Ventral abdominal wall hernia is a common problem, tied to increasing frailty and obesity of patients undergoing surgery. For non-complex ventral hernia, retro-rectus (Rives-Stoppa) repair is considered the gold standard treatment. Level-1 evidence confirming this presumed superiority is lacking.

METHODS

Five databases were searched for studies reporting on retro-rectus repair. Single-armed and comparative randomized and non-randomized studies were included. Outcomes were pooled with mixed-effects, inverse variance or random-effects models.

RESULTS

Ninety-three studies representing 12440 patients undergoing retro-rectus repair were included. Pooled hernia recurrence was estimated at 3.2% (95%CI: 2.2-4.2%, n = 11049) after minimally 12 months and 4.1%, (95%CI: 2.9-5.5%, n = 3830) after minimally 24 months. Incidences of SSI and seroma were estimated at respectively 5.2% (95%CI: 4.2-6.4%, n = 4891) and 5.5% (95%CI: 4.4-6.8%, n = 3650). Retro-rectus repair was associated with lower recurrence rates compared to onlay repair (OR: 0.27, 95%CI: 0.15-0.51, p < 0.001) and equal recurrence rates compared to intraperitoneal onlay (IPOM) repair (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.75-1.12, p = 0.400). Retro-rectus repair was associated with more SSI than IPOM repair (OR: 1.8, 95%CI: 1.03-3.14, p = 0.038). Minimally invasive retro-rectus repair displayed low rates of recurrence (1.3%, 95%CI: 0.7-2.3%, n = 849) and SSI (1.5%, 95%CI: 0.8-2.8%, n = 982), albeit based on non-randomized studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Retro-rectus (Rives-Stoppa) repair results in excellent outcomes, superior or similar to other techniques for all outcomes except surgical site infection. The latter rarely occurred, yet less frequently after IPOM repair, which is usually performed by laparoscopy.

Robotic-assisted pulley technique for the ventral hernia

When approaching complex abdominal wall hernias at either index operation or a subsequent reoperation for recurrent incarcerated abdominal wall hernias, a majority of surgeons consider mesh placement a key step in the prevention of a future recurrence. While the laparoscopic and open approaches show no significant difference in hernia recurrence, the laparoscopic approach to complex abdominal wall hernias does reduce surgical-site infection, postoperative ileus, improves short-term quality-of-life scores, and reduces hospital length of stay (Davies et al. in Am Surg 78(8):888-892, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500604/ , 2012, McGreevy et al. in Surg Endosc 17(11):1778-1780, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12958679 , 2003, Bittner et al. in Surg Endosc 33:3069-3139, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-019-06907-7 , 2019). In this paper, we describe a robotic approach with a pulley technique to the fixation of polypropylene mesh in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Our primary aim is to offer a new perspective to the re-creation of challenging abdominal walls and to encourage other surgeons to gain proficiency in the robotic approach. Additionally, the material cost to the technique is lower than that of self-expanding or deployable mesh reinforcements used in other laparoscopic approaches. Over time, as an institution breaks even on the cost of a robot with their return on investment, this technique offers potential cost-saving.

Laparoscopic management of recurrent ventral hernia: an experience of 222 patients

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the predisposing factors and characteristics of recurrent ventral hernia (RVH) along with the feasibility and outcome of laparoscopy in managing RVH.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of all patients with reducible or irreducible, uncomplicated RVH who underwent surgical management from January 2012 to June 2018.

RESULTS

Out of 222 patients, 186 (83.8%) were female, and 36 (16.2%) were male. The mean age was 54.1 ± 10.1 years; an average body mass index was 31 kg/m² (19-47.9). The most common previous abdominal operations among female patients were cesarean sections (43.5%) and abdominal hysterectomy (36.6%). Most of the patients had a history of open mesh repair (43.7%) and open anatomical repair (36.9%). The median time of recurrence was 4 years (1-33 years). The median defect size was 10 cm² (range 2-150 cm²), and 73% defects were in the midline. Total 181 of 222 (81.6%) patients underwent laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh plus (L-IPOM+), 19 (8.5%) laparoscopic-assisted IPOM+, 17(7.7%) laparoscopic anatomical repair, while remaining 5 (2.3%) patients required open mesh reconstruction. The median size of the composite mesh used was 300 cm² (150-600 cm²). The mean operating time was 145 (30-330) min, and median blood loss was 15 (5-110) ml. The median hospital stay was 3 days, and median follow-up period was 37 months. The post-operative symptomatic seroma rate was 3.1%, and re-recurrence rate was 1.4%.

CONCLUSION

Obesity, old age, female sex, previous lower abdominal surgeries, and previous open repair of a hernia are factors associated with recurrence. Laparoscopic repair is feasible with excellent outcome in most of the patients.

Diabetes and Risk of Surgical Site Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE To determine the independent association between diabetes and surgical site infection (SSI) across multiple surgical procedures. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS Studies indexed in PubMed published between December 1985 and through July 2015 were identified through the search terms "risk factors" or "glucose" and "surgical site infection." A total of 3,631 abstracts were identified through the initial search terms. Full texts were reviewed for 522 articles. Of these, 94 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Standardized data collection forms were used to extract study-specific estimates for diabetes, blood glucose levels, and body mass index (BMI). A random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates, and meta-regression was used to evaluate specific hypothesized sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS The primary outcome was SSI, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance criteria. The overall effect size for the association between diabetes and SSI was odds ratio (OR)=1.53 (95% predictive interval [PI], 1.11-2.12; I2, 57.2%). SSI class, study design, or patient BMI did not significantly impact study results in a meta-regression model. The association was higher for cardiac surgery 2.03 (95% PI, 1.13-4.05) compared with surgeries of other types (P=.001). CONCLUSIONS These results support the consideration of diabetes as an independent risk factor for SSIs for multiple surgical procedure types. Continued efforts are needed to improve surgical outcomes for diabetic patients. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):88-99.

Female gender and diabetes mellitus increase the risk of recurrence after laparoscopic incisional hernia repair

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic hernia repair is used widely for the repair of incisional hernias. Few case studies have focussed on purely 'incisional' hernias. This multicentre series represents a collaborative effort and employed statistical analyses to provide insight into the factors predisposing to recurrence of incisional hernia after laparoscopic repair. A specific hypothesis (ie, laterality of hernias as well as proximity to the xyphoid process and pubic symphysis predisposes to recurrence) was also tested.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of all laparoscopic incisional hernias undertaken in six centres from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2010. It comprised a comprehensive review of case notes and a follow-up using a structured telephone questionnaire. Patient demographics, previous medical/surgical history, surgical procedure, postoperative recovery, and perceived effect on quality of life were recorded. Repairs undertaken for primary ventral hernias were excluded. A logistic regression analysis was then fitted with recurrence as the primary outcome.

RESULTS

A total of 186 cases (91 females) were identified. Median follow-up was 42 months. Telephone interviews were answered by 115/186 (62%) of subjects. Logistic regression analyses suggested that only female sex (odds ratio (OR) 3.53; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39-8.97) and diabetes mellitus (3.54; 1-12.56) significantly increased the risk of recurrence. Position of the defect had no statistical effect.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest an increased risk of recurrence after laparoscopic incisional hernia repair in females and subjects with diabetes mellitus. These data will help inform surgeons and patients when considering laparoscopic management of incisional hernias. We recommend a centrally hosted, prospectively maintained national/international database to carry out additional research.

Concomitant laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh repair with other clean contaminated procedures-study of feasibility and safety

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic ventral hernia mesh repair has gained wide popularity with the benefits of shorter hospital stay, improved patient outcome, and fewer complications compared with traditional open procedures. It also offers the advantage of combining procedures at different quadrants of the abdomen. In this article we have retrospectively studied the safety of combining laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) repair with clean contaminated surgeries like cholecystectomy and hysterectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The data of all patients who received concomitant laparoscopic ventral hernia repairs along with cholecystectomy and hysterectomy were collected retrospectively. The details of these surgeries and the immediate postoperative outcome parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS

Between January 2006 and January 2011, 246 cases of laparoscopic IPOM in combination with clean contaminated surgeries were performed. Of these, 126 were hysterectomies, and 120 were cholecystectomies. Mean operating time for laparoscopic IPOM with cholecystectomy was 136 minutes (range, 112-172 minutes), and that for laparoscopic IPOM with hysterectomy was 224 minutes (range, 196-285 minutes). The average hospital stays were 4.3 days (range, 3-7 days) for laparoscopic IPOM with hysterectomy and 2.73 days (range, 1-5 days) for laparoscopic IPOM with cholecystectomy. Thirty-six patients (14.6%) developed seroma, for which 16 patients (6.5%) warranted aspiration. We had 0.8% mesh infection in total. The recurrence rates were 0.83% (n=1) in the cholecystectomy group and 0.8% (n=1) in the hysterectomy group.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic IPOM can be performed simultaneously with selected clean contaminated surgeries with acceptable morbidity. Combining clean contaminated surgeries does not significantly alter the outcome of the procedure.