Outcomes Better When Ventral Hernia Repair Is Elective, Study Finds
Examining the Impact of Timing on Ventral Hernia Repair Outcomes
Patients undergoing nonelective ventral hernia repair face higher recurrence rates, readmissions, and complications, driving up healthcare costs. A retrospective study sheds light on these disparities, emphasizing the importance of elective repair.
Understanding the Study
1st Lt. Theodore Habarth-Morales and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing nationwide data on ventral hernia repairs (VHRs). They aimed to compare outcomes and costs between elective and nonelective procedures.
Key Findings
Nonelective repairs were associated with higher recurrence rates, complications, and readmissions.
Despite constituting only 45% of repairs, nonelective procedures accounted for 57% of total healthcare expenditure.
Adjusting for confounders, nonelective repairs showed 1.5 times greater odds of postoperative complications.
Risk-adjusted costs revealed significantly higher expenses for nonelective surgeries.
Implications for Practice
Surgeons should weigh the risks and benefits of delaying hernia repair, considering patient comorbidities and access to care.
While optimizing patients preoperatively is crucial, delaying surgery may disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.
The study underscores the need for risk stratification tools to predict hernia occurrence and identify patients requiring urgent repair.
Balancing and Timing
Balancing optimization efforts with the risks of delaying surgery is an important distinction. While optimizing patients is beneficial, excessive focus on preoperative optimization may inadvertently harm patients, especially those with limited access to care.
In conclusion, the study highlights the imperative of timely, elective ventral hernia repair to mitigate adverse outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, especially for vulnerable patient populations.