Do surgical emergencies stay at home? Observations from the first United States Coronavirus epicenter

BACKGROUND

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, New York instituted a statewide stay-at-home mandate to lower viral transmission. While public health guidelines advised continued provision of timely care for patients, disruption of safety-net health care and public fear have been proposed to be related to indirect deaths because of delays in presentation. We hypothesized that admissions for emergency general surgery (EGS) diagnoses would decrease during the pandemic and that mortality for these patients would increase.

METHODS

A multicenter observational study comparing EGS admissions from January to May 2020 to 2018 and 2019 across 11 NYC hospitals in the largest public health care system in the United States was performed. Emergency general surgery diagnoses were defined using International Classification Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes and grouped into seven common diagnosis categories: appendicitis, cholecystitis, small/large bowel, peptic ulcer disease, groin hernia, ventral hernia, and necrotizing soft tissue infection. Baseline demographics were compared including age, race/ethnicity, and payor status. Outcomes included coronavirus disease (COVID) status and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 1,376 patients were admitted for EGS diagnoses from January to May 2020, a decrease compared with both 2018 (1,789) and 2019 (1,668) (p < 0.0001). This drop was most notable after the stay-at-home mandate (March 22, 2020; week 12). From March to May 2020, 3.3%, 19.2%, and 6.0% of EGS admissions were incidentally COVID positive, respectively. Mortality increased in March to May 2020 compared with 2019 (2.2% vs. 0.7%); this difference was statistically significant between April 2020 and April 2019 (4.1% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.045).

CONCLUSION

Supporting our hypothesis, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home mandate resulted in decreased EGS admissions between March and May 2020 compared with prior years. During this time, there was also a statistically significant increase in mortality, which peaked at the height of COVID infection rates in our population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiological, level IV.

Emergency department utilization and predictors of mortality for inpatient inguinal hernia repairs

BACKGROUND

Although inguinal hernias are common surgical diagnoses, minimally symptomatic patients are often not scheduled for repairs and are asked to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms. We investigated factors associated with emergency department (ED) utilization for inguinal hernia repairs and determined whether ED utilization affected mortality for this otherwise electively treated condition.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2009-2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients who presented through the ED and were then admitted for unilateral inguinal hernia repairs. Multivariable logistic regressions that adjusted for several patient and hospital characteristics determined predictors of both ED admission and postoperative mortality.

RESULTS

There were 116,357 inpatient hospitalizations. The majority (57%) resulted from ED admissions, of which most (85%) had a diagnosis of obstruction or gangrene. Notable predictors of ED admission from the multivariable analysis included obstruction (odds ratio, 9.77 [95% confidence interval: 9.05-10.55]), gangrene (18.24 [13.00-25.59]), Black race (1.47 [1.29-1.69]), Hispanic ethnicity (1.35 [1.18-1.54]), self-pay (2.29 [1.97-2.66]) and Medicaid insurance (1.76 [1.50-2.06]). While overall mortality decreased from 2.03% in 2009 to 1.36% in 2013, admission through the ED was independently associated with higher mortality compared with elective repair (1.67 [1.21-2.29]), even after adjusting for the diagnosis of obstruction and gangrene. Other predictors of mortality included patient age and comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, Black, Hispanic, and self-pay patients were more likely to present through the ED. After adjusting for obstruction or gangrene, simply presenting through the ED was independently associated with a 67% higher postoperative mortality rate compared with that of an elective operation. Our findings suggest both a difference in ED utilization and subsequent difference in mortality by patient race and ethnicity and insurance for this common surgical condition.

Unintended consequences of policy change to watchful waiting for asymptomatic inguinal hernias

INTRODUCTION

In 2009 the Department of Health instructed McKinsey & Company to provide advice on how commissioners might achieve world class National Health Service productivity. Asymptomatic inguinal hernia repair was identified as a potentially cosmetic procedure, with limited clinical benefit. The Birmingham and Solihull primary care trust cluster introduced a policy of watchful waiting for asymptomatic inguinal hernia, which was implemented across the health economy in December 2010. This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the effect of a change in clinical commissioning policy concerning elective surgical repair of asymptomatic inguinal hernias.

METHODS

A total of 1,032 patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair in the 16 months after the policy change were compared with 978 patients in the 16 months before. The main outcome measure was relative proportion of emergency repair in groups before and after the policy change. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to adjust the main outcome for age, sex and hernia type.

RESULTS

The period after the policy change was associated with 59% higher odds of emergency repair (3.6% vs 5.5%, adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-2.47). In turn, emergency repair was associated with higher odds of adverse events (4.7% vs 18.5%, adjusted OR: 3.68, 95% CI: 2.04-6.63) and mortality (0.1% vs 5.4%, p<0.001, Fisher's exact test).

CONCLUSIONS

Introduction of a watchful waiting policy for asymptomatic inguinal hernias was associated with a significant increase in need for emergency repair, which was in turn associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Current policies may be placing patients at risk.

Outcomes of emergent inguinal hernia repair in veteran octogenarians

Outcomes from emergent inguinal hernia (IH) repair in veteran octogenarians are not well described. We reviewed outcomes for this cohort from 2005 to 2012 at the VA North Texas Health Care System. There were 15 emergent (Group I) and 86 elective (Group II) operations performed in octogenarians. Age and American Society of Anesthesiologists status were similar in both groups. The rate of minor and major complications was higher in Group I compared with Group II (33 and 19% vs 22 and 2%, respectively; both Ps < 0.001). Hospital length of stay (LOS) and intensive care unit LOS were also longer in Group I compared with Group II (6.7 ± 7.0 and 2.5 ± 4.4 vs 0.8 ± 1.9 and 0.12 ± 0.6 days, respectively; both Ps < 0.001). Thirty-day mortality was 13 per cent for Group I and 0 per cent for Group II. Despite the high rate of comorbid conditions in our group, the risk associated with elective repair of IH was not prohibitive. In contrast, we observed that 15 per cent of patients presented with an incarcerated hernia during the study period and the mortality rate was 13 per cent in this cohort. Factors that might predict incarceration in veteran octogenarians need to be further investigated.

Safety and efficacy of selective sac extraction method of inguinal hernia repair in children: results of a prospective study

PURPOSE

A prospective study was conducted to confirm the safety and efficacy of the selective sac extraction method (SSEM) of inguinal hernia repairs in children.

METHODS

Primary endpoints of the study were the incidence of any complication related to the SSEM, or hernia recurrence. Secondary endpoints included the success rate of the SSEM, length of incision at the end of operation, and duration of operation. The incidence of contralateral manifestation of hernia was also examined.

RESULTS

Between October 2009 and December 2011, a total of 317 repairs, 145 male repairs and 172 female repairs, were performed by applying the SSEM. There were three operative conversions, and the success rate of the SSEM was 99% in both male and female patients. The length of incision ranged from 4.0 to 12.5 mm (median 6.0 mm) and was ≤7.0 mm in 93% repairs. The incisional length for male repairs ranged from 4.0 to 12.5 mm (median 6.0 mm) and was ≤7.0 mm in 86% repairs, while it ranged from 4.0 to 9.0 mm (median 5.5 mm) in female repairs and was ≤6.5 mm in 96% repairs. The duration of the operation for unilateral repair ranged from 9 to 66 min (median 21 min). Eighty percent of repairs were examined 6-44 months (median 12 months) after the operation. There was one (0.4%) recurrence among 250 repairs and two (1.7%) cases of testicular dislocation among 115 male repairs. Contralateral hernia presented in 19 (9.5%) of 199 patients with unilateral hernia who underwent the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The feasibility of the SSEM was reconfirmed, and it was revealed that the complication and recurrence rates were low and acceptable. The SSEM is safe and effective, and should be a standard method for repairing inguinal hernia in children.

Surgical management of inguinal hernias at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania: our experiences in a resource-limited setting

BACKGROUND

Inguinal hernia repair remains the commonest operation performed by general surgeons all over the world. There is paucity of published data on surgical management of inguinal hernias in our environment. This study is intended to describe our own experiences in the surgical management of inguinal hernias and compare our results with that reported in literature.

METHODS

A descriptive prospective study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from relevant authorities before the commencement of the study. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0.

RESULTS

A total of 452 patients with inguinal hernias were enrolled in the study. The median age of patients was 36 years (range 3 months to 78 years). Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 36.7:1. This gender deference was statistically significant (P=0.003). Most patients (44.7%) presented late (more than five years of onset of hernia). Inguinoscrotal hernia (66.8%) was the commonest presentation. At presentation, 208 (46.0%) patients had reducible hernia, 110 (24.3%) had irreducible hernia, 84 (18.6%) and 50(11.1%) patients had obstructed and strangulated hernias respectively. The majority of patients (53.1%) had right sided inguinal hernia with a right-to-left ratio of 2.1: 1. Ninety-two (20.4%) patients had bilateral inguinal hernias. 296 (65.5%) patients had indirect hernia, 102 (22.6%) had direct hernia and 54 (11.9%) had both indirect and direct types (pantaloon hernia). All patients in this study underwent open herniorrhaphy. The majority of patients (61.5%) underwent elective herniorrhaphy under spinal anaesthesia (69.2%). Local anaesthesia was used in only 1.1% of cases. Bowel resection was required in 15.9% of patients. Modified Bassini's repair (79.9%) was the most common technique of posterior wall repair of the inguinal canal. Lichtenstein mesh repair was used in only one (0.2%) patient. Complication rate was 12.4% and it was significantly higher in emergency herniorrhaphy than in elective herniorrhaphy (P=0.002). The median length of hospital stay was 8 days and it was significantly longer in patients with advanced age, delayed admission, concomitant medical illness, high ASA class, the need for bowel resection and in those with surgical repair performed under general anesthesia (P<0.001). Mortality rate was 9.7%. Longer duration of symptoms, late hospitalization, coexisting disease, high ASA class, delayed operation, the need for bowel resection and presence of complications were found to be predictors of mortality (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Inguinal hernias continue to be a source of morbidity and mortality in our centre. Early presentation and elective repair of inguinal hernias is pivotal in order to eliminate the morbidity and mortality associated with this very common problem.

Why do we use drains in some inguinal hernia repairs?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

There is no consensus among surgeons on the indication of putting drains for in groin hernias. In this study we aimed to investigate the factors that are associated with drain usage by comparing the clinical characteristics of patients who had drains with the patients without drains in the repair of groin hernias.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The data of all groin hernia repairs from January 2006 till February 2010 in Ankara Diskapi Research Hospital were collected prospectively. The type of presentation, age, gender, presence of coexisting diseases, type of hernia, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, type of anesthesia, postoperative general complications, local wound complications, duration of operation, and length of hospitalization, recurrence and mortality were compared between the groups of patients with drains versus without drains.

RESULTS

The drains were used in 66 (8.3%) of 795 open mesh repairs of inguinal hernias. The patients who had drains were older, had cardiovascular disease, higher ASA class, received anticoagulant regimens more often, had indirect type hernia more often, more recurrent hernias, more commonly had emergency operations, had complicated presentations such as incarceration and strangulation, therefore had resections more often, pulmonary complications, had local complications such as hematoma, had longer duration of the operations and stayed longer in the hospital when compared with the patients without drains (p < 0.05). Anticoagulant use, duration of the operation, recurrent hernias and ASA class were statistically significant independent variables predicting drain use in inguinal hernias (p < 0.05). When femoral hernia repairs (n = 35) were analysed; drains were associated with male gender and long operation time (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Drains are more commonly used in patients on anticoagulants, who had long duration of the operation, recurrent hernias and high ASA class. Drain use in selected patients seems to not increase infection risk but are associated with longer hospital stay.

Factors influencing morbidity and mortality in elderly population undergoing inguinal hernia surgery

OBJECTIVE

To study various factors influencing outcome of open hernia repair in elderly population.

METHODS

This is a retrospective descriptive study from January 2004 to December 2008 including all patients (n = 212) of 60 years and above operated for inguinal hernias either electively or in emergency during this period. One of the co-authors was assigned the duty to collect the record files of all patients over 60 years age operated for inguinal hernia in the department of surgery LUMHS as well as in private hospitals in Hyderabad. The records of all patients were reviewed and data retrieved on a proforma mentioning variables to investigate the common co-morbidities and their influence on the overall results of surgical intervention in geriatric patients. SPSS version 12 was used for statistical analysis of the data.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients in this series was 69.82 +/- 7.8 years of whom 208 (98%) were males and 4 (2%) females. In 190 (89.61%) patients the hernias were unilateral while 12 (5.7%) cases had bilateral inguinal hernias and 10 (4.7%) patients presented with recurrent hernias. In 159 (75%) patients the hernia was simple while 53 (25%) patients presented with one or the other complication such as obstruction or strangulation. Elective surgery was performed in 161 (75.9%) patients while 51 (24.1%) patients were operated in emergency. Co-morbidities were present in 79 (37.26%) patients. Out of the total study population, 7 (3.30%) patients died of which 6 were operated in emergency and had co-morbidities. All of them had gangrene of bowel for which resection and anastomosis was done. One patient died of acute MI on 5th post-operative day.

CONCLUSION

Emergency hernia surgery carries a high mortality in elderly patients. Co-existing medical problems make surgery still challenging in the geriatric population. An early elective hernia repair is highly recommended.

Tension-free by mesh-plug technique for inguinal hernia repair in elderly patients

BACKGROUND

elderly patients are steadily becoming a growing part of the population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of open inguinal hernia repair in patients aged over 65 years.

METHODS

from January 1999 to December 2008, a total of 719 patients underwent open tension-free inguinal hernia repair with mesh-plug; 301 among them were ≥ 65 years old.

RESULTS

elderly patients had a mean age of 72.4 years (women 3.3%), while the mean age of younger patients was 48.7 years (women 5.7%). According to the ASA score, patients aged ≥ 65 years were at significantly higher risk than the younger patients. Spinal anesthesia was used most frequently in both groups. No significant differences were found in postoperative pain, mortality and recurrence. Morbidity and hospital stay were significantly higher in patients aged ≥ 65 years.

CONCLUSIONS

open hernia repair in the elderly is safe and well tolerated, but it is associated with higher morbidity and longer hospitalization.

[Wound infections in abdominal surgery: aetiology, risk factors, antibiotic prophylaxis]

Nosocomial infections are the major cause for morbidity and mortality in hospital. In Germany 3.5 % of patients developed nosocomial infections, 15 % of these are wound infections post surgery. Asepsis, proper surgical technique and identifying patients at risk of infections and antibiotic prophylaxis are the most effective measures to reduce postoperative wound infection rate. To identify patients at risk by traditional wound classification system alone seems to be insufficient. Risk factors others than the suspected contamination rate at the end of the operation have to be detected. Indication, choice of the antibiotic agent and timing of antibiotic prophylaxis will be discussed.

Mortality after groin hernia surgery

OBJECTIVE

To analyze mortality following groin hernia operations.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

It is well known that the incidence of groin hernia in men exceeds the incidence in women by a factor of 10. However, gender differences in mortality following groin hernia surgery have not been explored in detail.

METHODS

The study comprises all patients 15 years or older who underwent groin hernia repair between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2005 at units participating in the Swedish Hernia Register (SHR). Postoperative mortality was defined as standardized mortality ratio (SMR) within 30 days, ie, observed deaths of operated patients over expected deaths considering age and gender of the population in Sweden.

RESULTS

A total of 107,838 groin hernia repairs (103,710 operations), were recorded prospectively. Of 104,911 inguinal hernias, 5280 (5.1%) were treated emergently, as compared with 1068 (36.5%) of 2927 femoral hernias. Femoral hernia operations comprised 1.1% of groin hernia operations on men and 22.4% of operations on women. After femoral hernia operation, the mortality risk was increased 7-fold for both men and women. Mortality risk was not raised above that of the background population for elective groin hernia repair, but it was increased 7-fold after emergency operations and 20-fold if bowel resection was undertaken. Overall SMR was 1.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.6) for men and 4.2 (95% confidence interval, 3.2-5.4) for women, in accordance with a greater proportion of emergency operations among women compared with men, 17.0%, versus 5.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality risk following elective hernia repair is low, even at high age. An emergency operation for groin hernia carries a substantial mortality risk. After groin hernia repair, women have a higher mortality risk than men due to a greater risk for emergency procedure irrespective of hernia anatomy and a greater proportion of femoral hernia.

Obstructed inguinal hernia: role of technical aid program

AIM

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of the presence of a surgeon on the outcome of obstructed inguinal hernia at Mongomo, in Equatorial Guinea.

METHODOLOGY

A prospective study of patients with obstructed inguinal hernia seen between June 1997 and May 1999 was carried out. During the same period, all uncomplicated hernias seen at the surgical outpatient clinic were noted.

RESULT

Fifteen patients presented with obstructed inguinal hernia, while 138 were uncomplicated. All the 15 patients were males, and one of them died. Death resulted from lack of treatment as he presented on our arrival on a technical aid program from Nigeria. The others (N = 14) were operated upon, and eight of them had resection of the intestine because of gangrene. The duration of obstruction was more than two days among those that had bowel resection.

COMMENT

Inguinal hernia is a treatable surgical condition. When done electively, the cost and the risk of treatment are very low. Operative treatment can only be offered to patients with inguinal hernia by a surgeon in the community.

CONCLUSION

The study has demonstrated that the presence of a surgeon in a community changes the outcome of obstructed inguinal hernia. Sponsorship of medical aid programs should be encouraged.

Inguinal hernia: Challenging the traditional indication for surgery in asymptomatic patients

BACKGROUND

It is generally accepted that most inguinal hernias should be operated on electively in order to avoid the high morbidity and mortality associated with incarceration and small bowel obstruction. The present study reassesses the indication for surgery in asymptomatic inguinal hernia patients.

METHODS

We analyzed profiles, separately, for elective and emergency inguinal herniorrhaphies and compared the morbidity and mortality rates.

RESULTS

Two hundred randomly selected elective hernia repairs were compared with 67 incarcerated cases. Postoperative complications were more common following emergency (23.9%) than elective repair (10.5%); however, in both groups, minor complications predominated. The mortality rate in the incarcerated group (6%) was clearly linked with a high preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score. A bowel resection rate of 4.5% was found in the incarcerated cases, which was not correlated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with asymptomatic inguinal hernia and unfavorable medical conditions should be recommended an elective repair, preferably under local anesthesia, to avoid the high mortality associated with an emergency operation.

Dispositional pessimism predicts delayed return to normal activities after inguinal hernia operation

BACKGROUND

The traditional outcome measure to assess effectiveness of inguinal hernia operation was recurrence. Open mesh repair has reduced recurrence rates and attention is now turning to outcomes other than recurrence. The factors influencing the large variation in reported times of resumption of normal activities after inguinal hernia repair are many and diverse. The human factors influencing resumption of normal activity are rarely reported.

METHODS

We undertook a prospective study of 206 patients undergoing primary inguinal hernia repair in an ambulatory setting in a public hospital to ascertain whether dispositional outlook on life affected resumption of normal activity after hernia repair. Outlook on life was assessed using the life orientation test. An independent observer assessed the patients preoperatively and determined timing of resumption of normal activities.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed a highly significant relationship between delayed return to normal activity and dispositional pessimism (P =.0004).

DISCUSSION

Dispositional pessimism correlates strongly with delayed return to normal activities. Further studies of this kind will help to elucidate the human factors that affect recovery after operation. Studies which use return to normal activities as a measure of the outcome of a surgical technique should include an assessment of the patient's preoperative outlook on life. Surgeons should consider the personality of the patient presenting for groin hernia repair and may wish to tailor their counseling accordingly.

Presentation and outcome of incarcerated external hernias in adults

BACKGROUND

Incarcerated external hernias are the second most common cause of small-intestinal obstructions. The purpose of this study was to examine the presentation and management of incarcerated external hernia.

METHODS

The records of 385 consecutive patients undergoing emergency surgical operation for incarcerated external hernias in a large volume teaching hospital between August 1996 and October 1999 were analyzed. The patients' ages ranged from 15 to 100 years (mean 55.1). There were more men than women (250 and 135, respectively), and 165 (42.9%) patients were over 60 years of age. Inguinal and umbilical hernias were encountered most frequently, in 291 (75.5%) and 48 (12.5%) patients, respectively. The intestine was resected in 53 patients, 31 of whom were over 60 years of age (58.5%). Two hundred fifty-two (84.9%) patients presented 48 hours or more from the onset of symptoms. Significant concomitant diseases were noted in 52 men and 19 women.

RESULTS

The overall complication rate amounted to 19.5%, major complications 15.1%. The most serious postoperative complications were pulmonary and cardiovascular. Adult respiratory distress syndrome developed in 10 patients, and congestive heart failure developed in 14 patients. Postoperative mortality was 2.9%. Nine (81.8%) of the dead patients were older than 60. Nine (81.9%) of the dead patients were admitted to hospital more than 24 hours after incarceration. Mortality was high in patients with serious coexisting diseases whereas morbidity was linked with the duration of symptoms prior to admission.

CONCLUSIONS

Older age, severe coexisting diseases, and late hospitalization were the main causes of unfavorable outcomes of the management of incarcerated hernias.

Is elective hernia repair worthwhile in old patients?

OBJECTIVE

To find out if elective herniorraphy in patients aged 75 and over is worthwhile.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

District hospital, Sweden.

SUBJECTS

146 consecutive patients aged 75 years or more, who had their hernias repaired during the period 1992-95.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Patient satisfaction measured by a five-point analogue scale. Clinical and personal details, morbidity, mortality, and surgical variables were obtained from case records.

RESULTS

Community social service was not required by 114 (78%) of the patients and 15 (22%) had no preoperative complaints. Our patients rated their satisfaction with their choice to have an operation, as well as its effect on their preoperative symptoms as 4.9. Emergency operations (p = 0.02), femoral hernias (p = 0.01) and direct inguinal hernias (direct:indirect ratio 0.81) were more common in this age group. Femoral and direct inguinal hernias tended to recur more often than usual. Emergency operation, dementia, and diabetes were associated with a reduced short-term survival.

CONCLUSION

Elective hernia repair in an elderly population is highly appreciated by the patients, and worthwhile. If coexisting disease and domestic arrangements are controlled, the patients' need for hospital care can be minimised. Mesh is recommended in femoral and direct inguinal hernias, which were associated with an increased reoperation frequency. A more vigilant protocol of indications for hernia surgery in the aged may minimise the need for both emergency and unnecessary operations.

A study of the risk of strangulation and obstruction in groin hernias

BACKGROUND

Complications that develop in groin hernias, such as irreducibility and obstruction, with or without strangulation may make an easily treatable condition a life-threatening one. Identification of risk factors that may predict development would help place the patient in a high-risk group. Priority admission and early elective surgery for such a patient would avoid significant mortality and morbidity.

METHODS

This is a 10-year combined prospective and retrospective study of children and adults. Records of complicated groin hernias were identified from July 1985 to July 1995 from the outpatient department and available inpatient medical records. The same number of controls of simple uncomplicated hernias were then chosen using random number tables from among the large number belonging to the same time period. These two groups were then compared and analysed using statistical methods for age, sex, side of hernia, site of hernia (inguinal/femoral), duration of hernia, length of the waiting list for elective surgery, and contents of the hernial sac along with some other parameters to identify patients with high-risk factors.

RESULTS

Age was found to be a significant risk factor and predicted complications in both elderly adults and very young children. Sex of the patient (male) and side of hernia (right) were significant risk factors in children only. Site of hernia was an important risk factor and adults with femoral hernia were most likely to experience complications. Duration of hernia for less than a year proved to be the most important risk factor for both children and adults. The majority of patients with complicated hernias had not presented earlier in the outpatient department, which implies that most hernias that become complicated do so within a very short time before patient referral. Mortality was high in patients with coexisting diseases, while morbidity was affected by viability of contents of the hernial sac which in turn was directly affected by duration of irreducibility or delay in presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk factors useful in predicting complications in an adult patient with groin hernia were age (older age group), duration of hernia (short duration), type of hernia (femoral more than inguinal) and coexisting medical illness. In children, the risk factors were age (very young), gender (male), short duration of hernia and side (right side).

Abdominal aortic aneurysms and malignant neoplasia: double jeopardy

BACKGROUND

This study was performed to determine whether there is a significant association between abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and malignancy and to determine the impact of malignancy on late survival in patients with AAA.

METHODS

We studied 126 men undergoing AAA repair and compared them with 99 men undergoing aortofemoral bypass (AFB) for occlusive disease and with 100 men undergoing herniorrhaphy during the same period.

RESULTS

Fifty-one (40%) patients with AAA, 23 (23%) patients undergoing AFB, and 21 (21%) patients undergoing herniorrhaphy were diagnosed with cancer (p = 0.002). By life table analysis the proportion of subjects remaining cancer free at 5 years was 0.60 +/- 0.05 for AAA, 0.83 +/- 0.04 for AFB, and 0.81 +/- 0.04 for herniorrhaphy (p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis selected four independent risk factors for cancer: presence of AAA (p = 0.003, odds ratio 1.4, confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 1.7), age (p = 0.001, odds ratio per year 1.1, CI 1.0 to 1.1), smoking (p = 0.04, odds ratio 1.5, CI 1.0 to 2.2), and hypertension (p = 0.04, odds ratio 0.73, CI 0.5 to 1.0). Cancer deaths accounted for 32% of late deaths in patients with AAA, which was not different compared with 26% of late deaths in patients undergoing AFB and 36% of late deaths in patients undergoing herniorrhaphy. Five-year cancer-free survival was 0.44 +/- 0.05 for patients with AAA, 0.64 +/- 0.05 for patients undergoing AFB, and 0.70 +/- 0.05 for patients undergoing herniorrhaphy (p < 0.001, AAA versus herniorrhaphy only).

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer is more prevalent in men with AAA than in men undergoing AFB or herniorrhaphy. The presence of AAA appears to be an independent risk factor for cancer. Despite the higher cancer prevalence in patients with AAA, cardiovascular disease accounted for the largest number of late deaths in this series, minimizing differences in cancer-free survival between patients with AAA and patients undergoing AFB.

Laparoscopic hernia repair--complications

Laparoscopic hernioplasty is a technique which can present a number of specific complications. This paper reviews the complications that can occur during laparoscopic hernia repair and ways to avoid them; it also describes the surgical technique used successfully in over 1000 cases. Initial experience suggests that complications can be avoided with adequate knowledge, attention to surgical anatomy and the proper technique of laparoscopic hernioplasty. Early recurrences are rare and invariably result from inadequate surgical technique. Inadequate fixation of the mesh, inadequate mesh size, and failure to cover unidentified wall defects (hernias which have never been repaired), are the main causes of early recurrence of hernia. Experience, knowledge of complications and how to avoid them, adequate training and attention to the anatomy of the inguinal region are the most important factors in correcting inguinal hernia successfully by laparoscopy.

[Against the principle surgical indications in inguinal hernia]

It is generally accepted that most inguinal hernias should be operated electively. This study presents a risk calculation challenging this view. Three strategies are presented: prophylactic indication on principle (A), elective operation in every second case (B), and operation in case of strangulation only (C). On the basis of available epidemiological data it is calculated that, for the male German population aged 65 years and over 69,954 (A), 36,292 (B), and 2630 (C) inguinal hernia repairs would be necessary annually; 167 (A), 145 (B) and 123 (C) perioperative deaths would occur, connected with 1702 (A), 1373 (B) and 1048 (C) years of life lost, respectively. Thus, operation of every inguinal hernia would result in a (small) reduction of life expectancy. These data provide evidence that in elderly patients the indication for operative treatment of inguinal hernias should depend upon symptoms and suffering. There is no reason to operate on asymptomatic patients because of a presumed risk of strangulation.

Inguinal hernia repair: incidence of elective and emergency surgery, readmission and mortality

BACKGROUND

Inguinal hemia repair is one of the most common operations undertaken in routine surgical practice. It generally carries a very low risk of major adverse sequelae. We analysed profiles, separately, for elective and emergency operations to report on the incidence and major adverse outcomes of inguinal hernia repair in a geographically defined population.

METHODS

Age- and sex-specific hospital admission rates, emergency readmission rates within 30 days of discharge, and mortality rates, separately for elective and emergency operations, were calculated for the period 1976-1986 in the Oxford Record Linkage Study (ORLS) area.

RESULTS

In all, 30,675 inguinal hernia repairs were performed in the area, an all-ages annual incidence of 13 per 10,000 population. Some 9% of patients underwent operation in an emergency admission. Elective operation rates remained constant over time. Emergency repairs decreased significantly over time in males. Patients who underwent emergency repair were older, had higher emergency readmission rates than those undergoing elective repair, and had significantly elevated postoperative mortality rates. In those who died it was uncommon for inguinal hernia to be recorded on their death certificates. Of the operations, 91% were undertaken on males; age-specific rates were highest in infants and the elderly; and emergency operation rates rose exponentially with age in people > 50 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The lifetime 'risk' of inguinal hernia repair is high: at currently prevailing rates we estimate it at 27% for men and 3% for women. There is significant elevation of mortality after emergency operations. Elective repair of inguinal hernia should be undertaken soon after the diagnosis is made to minimize the risk of adverse outcomes.

Early repair of inguinal hernia in preterm infants with oxygen-dependent bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Despite inguinal hernia being both common and problematic in a significant proportion of preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), there has been a reluctance to intervene surgically for fear of exacerbating the underlying lung disease. We report our experience of early operation in 12 consecutive infants with varying degrees of oxygen-dependent BPD and investigate the effect of general anaesthesia and herniotomy on pulmonary function by measuring oxygen requirements prior to and following operation. Two infants who required oxygen in a concentration in excess of 95% failed to improve and died from the pulmonary disease 6 and 8 weeks following their operation. The remaining infants all showed a reduction in mean oxygen requirements in the weeks following operation. We conclude that, in the short term, hernia repair performed under general anaesthesia in infants with BPD of varying severity had no adverse effects on respiratory function, as determined by oxygen requirements. We suggest that in certain infants early repair may have been beneficial--potential mechanisms are explored.

[The surgical treatment of strangulated inguinal-crural hernias in geriatric patients]

The authors describe their own experience relative to 79 patients, aged 70 years or older, who underwent, during three years, emergency surgical intervention for inguinal or crural strangulated hernia. They report a postoperative mortality rate of 8.8% and a postoperative morbidity rate of 40%. They stress the need for timely diagnosis and a meticulous surgical treatment. Therefore, they underline the great importance of the anesthesiologic approach and perioperative intensive care.

Contributions of the surgical sciences to a reduction of the mortality rate in the United States for the period 1968 to 1988

OBJECTIVE

The authors sought to determine whether advances in the surgical sciences have led to a reduction in mortality rates for diseases treated by surgery during the past 25 years. They also wished to study changes in health care manpower for perioperative care during this period.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Surgical operations requiring general anesthesia in the United States have risen to 25 million per year at an annual cost of approximately $125 billion. During the period 1968 to 1988, the number of anesthesiologists per 100,000 persons in the United States increased 98%, although the number of surgeons remained relatively constant. Between 1980 and 1989, the number of radiologists per 100,000 persons decreased to 29% below the figure for 1965. Membership in specialized nursing societies increased dramatically.

METHODS

The authors used vital statistics data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to examine the mortality rates for diseases of the prostate, appendix, and gallbladder; hernia and intestinal obstruction; and ulcerative disease of the stomach and duodenum for the years 1968, 1978, and 1988. NCHS hospital discharge data were used to derive the rates of hospitalization and surgery for these conditions. Information on changes in health care manpower was obtained from published and other sources.

RESULTS

The mortality rates for the five diseases studied decreased from 40% to 69% between 1968 and 1978. Between 1978 and 1988, the mortality rates caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia declined an additional 54% and by appendicitis, an additional 43%. Deaths attributable to the other conditions remained relatively constant. The rates of hospitalization and surgery for these conditions varied.

CONCLUSIONS

Advances in surgery, anesthesiology, and information transfer and the availability of intensive care units and specialized hospital personnel have resulted in reduced mortality rates for diseases treated by surgery.

[Outcome of treatment of incarcerated hernia]

Experience in surgical treatment of 632 patients for incarcerated hernias of different localization is analysed. The patients' ages ranged from 39 to 91, 448 (70.9%) patients were over 60 years of age. Inguinal and umbilical hernias were encountered most frequently--62.5%. The intestine was resected in 93 patients, 80 of them were over 60 years of age (86%). Among these patients 63 were admitted to the clinic 1 to 4 days after the incarceration had occurred. The causes of late hospitalization: through the patient's fault in 80 (24.8%) cases, due to the doctor's errors in the prehospital stage in 39 (12.1%) cases. Kerte's method for determining the viability of the incarcerated intestine is subjective to a certain measure--the surgeons made errors in 14% of cases (confirmed histologically). The mortality was 13.4%, in 85% death occurred at an age over 70 and in 74% of cases the patients were admitted 24 hours to 4 days after the incarceration. Incompetence of the sutures of the anastomosis (41%) was the main cause of death. Late hospitalization, elderly and old age, severe concomitant complications, and unwarrantably extended volume of the interventions were the main causes of unfavorable outcomes of the management of this category of patients.

[Quality control after introduction of a new hernia technique. Barwell transversal fascia-plasty]

From 1987 to 1991 we operated on 320 patients with 360 inguinal hernias with the recently introduced transversalis fascial repair after Barwell. The transversalis fascia is duplicated with an atraumatic looped nylon 0.43 trainees performed 70% of the operations. The follow-up was 30 months (6-62) for 317 (88%) hernias (two examiners). Over all we observed eleven (3.5%) recurrences, in 8 cases after primary operation. Two of this recurrences were initially missed femoral hernias. In the learning phase we found five early recurrences in the first 60 patients and in the following 257 patients with the same follow-up only 6 recurrences. We conclude that with the new technique of transversalis fascial repair after Barwell very good results can be achieved even with a big number of young surgeons in training.

Risk of strangulation in groin hernias

Although the elective repair of groin hernias is advised to prevent strangulation, the likelihood of this complication occurring is unknown. To quantify this risk, the cumulative probability of strangulation in relation to the length of history has been calculated for inguinal and femoral hernias presenting to this hospital between 1987 and 1989. Of 476 hernias (439 inguinal, 37 femoral), there were 34 strangulations (22 inguinal, 12 femoral). After 3 months the cumulative probability of strangulation for inguinal hernias was 2.8 per cent, rising to 4.5 per cent after 2 years. For femoral hernias the cumulative probability of strangulation was 22 per cent at 3 months and 45 per cent at 21 months. The rate at which the cumulative probability of strangulation increased was in both cases greatest in the first 3 months, suggesting that patients with a short history of herniation should be referred urgently to hospital and given priority on the waiting list.

A five-year U.S. Army experience with 36,250 abdominal hernia repairs

Thirty-six thousand two hundred fifty abdominal hernia repairs were performed in U.S. Army medical treatment facilities during a five-year period. This study presents data about the type of hernia, incidence of complications by obstruction or strangulation, age, sex, and mortality. Hernias occurring with intestinal obstruction or gangrene (strangulation) are referred to as complicated hernias. Inguinal hernias in children less than two years of age, femoral hernias, and unusual (such as internal or obturator) hernias were found to have an increased incidence of complications. Surgical repair of ventral, umbilical, and femoral hernias was done with a low surgical risk and the presence of complications did not significantly increase this risk. An increased risk of mortality is associated with the repair of complicated unusual hernias and complicated inguinal hernias in patients more than 60 years of age.

Inguinal pathology and its association with classical bladder exstrophy

One hundred thirty-four cases of classical bladder exstrophy, managed at our institution, were reviewed. Fifty-six percent of the boys and 15% of the girls developed inguinal hernias over an average follow-up time-span of 10 years. Thirty-one percent of the patients with hernias underwent repair at the time of initial bladder closure. Forty-six percent of the patients who developed a hernia were diagnosed during the first year following their initial procedure. More than 50% of the individuals in the latter category presented with an incarcerated hernia, and required emergent management. Boys managed by staged reconstruction had a statistically significant risk of developing an inguinal hernia (P less than .001) compared with boys undergoing primary cystectomy and diversion. We believe the increased incidence of herniation with this congenital anomaly is secondary to a lack of obliquity of the inguinal canal, due to pubic diastasis along with an increased elevation of intraabdominal pressure following initial closure of the abdominal wall and bladder plate. To decrease the attendant morbidity of incarcerated hernias in this population, we stress the need for careful physical examination of the inguinal region and spermatic cord prior to surgery, along with repair of the patent processus vaginalis at the time of initial repair.

[Inguinal hernia in old age]

By retrospective analysis of the medical records from 1978-1985, the rates of incarceration, postoperative complications and lethality were determined with particular consideration of elective and emergency operations. The proportion of over 60 year old patients with inguinal hernia was 37.3%. The rate of incarceration in these patients (9.8%) was more than five times as high as in patients under 60 years old (1.8%); with increasing age, it rose from 3% to 36%. The Bassini technique predominated in the surgical treatment of the hernia. The rate of postoperative complications was 7.5%, wound infections (3.35%) and hematomas (3.07%) being the most frequent. Four patients died postoperatively, mostly of pulmonary complications; this corresponds to a lethality of 1.1% as compared to this corresponds to a lethality of 1.1% as compared to 0% in patients under 60 years old. Emergency operations in incarcerated hernia display a lethality (5.71%) which is more than nine times as high as in elective operations (0.62%). The indication for surgery is hence to be established rather extensively in the elderly, since the danger of incarceration rises.

Groin hernias in elderly patients. Management and prognosis

In a 10 year period, 1,496 patients aged 65 years or older were treated for groin hernias. A total of 1,755 hernias were diagnosed, of which 243 were incarcerated and 1,279 were surgically repaired. Emergency operations were performed in 235 patients with a mortality rate of 7.5 percent, compared with 1.3 percent for the elective cases. The postoperative morbidity rate was 56 percent in emergency cases and 20 percent in the elective cases. Patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases had the worst prognosis. Local anesthesia had the least sequelae. We conclude that groin hernias in elderly patients should be repaired under elective conditions in the properly prepared patient, preferably while under local anesthesia.

Intestinal obstruction

One hundred severty-one cases of mechanical intestinal obstruction were studied. One hundred fifteen had small bowel obstruction and fifty-six had large bowel obstruction. Adhesion (32.8 per cent), hernia (21.6 per cent), and neoplasm (18.1 per cent) were the cause of obstruction in more than 70 per cent of all cases. More than 40 per cent of patients were older than 60 years and the average age was 52.7. The numbers of males and females were approximately equal. There were twice as many whites as blacks, and the mortality rate was higher among blacks. The overall uncorrected mortality rate was 18.7 per cent. Operation was performed in 105 patients (61.4 per cent), with a postoperative mortality of 19 per cent and corrected postoperative mortality of 4.5 per cent. Contributing factors that were significant were high incidence of metastatic diseases, elderly patients, and delay in admission.