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IntroductionPublished data regarding robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair are mainly limited to small cohorts. This study aimed to provide information on the morbidity and mortality of robot-assisted complex hiatal hernia repair and redo anti-reflux surgery in a high-volume center.Materials and methodsAll patients that underwent robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair, redo hiatal hernia repair, and anti-reflux surgery between 2011 and 2017 at the Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, the Netherlands were evaluated. Primary endpoints were 30-day morbidity and mortality. Major complications were defined as Clavien–Dindo ≥ IIIb.ResultsPrimary surgery 211 primary surgeries were performed by two surgeons. The median age was 67 (IQR 58–73) years. 84.4% of patients had a type III or IV hernia (10.9% Type I; 1.4% Type II; 45.5% Type III; 38.9% Type IV, 1.4% no herniation). In 3.3% of procedures, conversion was required. 17.1% of patients experienced complications. The incidence of major complications was 5.2%. Ten patients (4.7%) were readmitted within 30 days. Symptomatic early recurrence occurred in two patients (0.9%). The 30-day mortality was 0.9%. Redo surgery 151 redo procedures were performed by two surgeons. The median age was 60 (IQR 51–68) years. In 2.0%, the procedure was converted. The overall incidence of complications was 10.6%, while the incidence of major complications was 2.6%. Three patients (2.0%) were readmitted within 30 days. One patient (0.7%) experienced symptomatic early recurrence. No patients died in the 30-day postoperative period.ConclusionsThis study provides valuable information on robot-assisted laparoscopic repair of primary or recurrent hiatal hernia and anti-reflux surgery for both patient and surgeon. Serious morbidity of 5.2% in primary surgery and 2.6% in redo surgery, in this large series with a high surgeon caseload, has to be outweighed by the gain in quality of life or relief of serious medical implications of hiatal hernia when counseling for surgical intervention.

Biologic grafts hold promise of a durable repair for ventral hernias with the potential for fewer complications than synthetic mesh. This systematic review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of biologic grafts for ventral hernia repair. MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for studies on biologic grafts for the repair of ventral hernias. Outcomes are presented as weighted pooled proportions. Twenty-five retrospective studies were included. Recurrence depended on wound class, with an overall rate of 13.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.6–21.3). The recurrence rate in contaminated/dirty repairs was 23.1% (95% CI, 11.3–37.6). Abdominal wall laxity occurred in 10.5% (95% CI, 3.7–20.3) of patients. The surgical morbidity rate was 46.3% (95% CI, 33.3–59.6). Infection occurred in 15.9% (95% CI, 9.8–23.2) of patients but only led to graft removal in 4.9% of cases. No randomized trials are available to properly evaluate biologic grafts for ventral hernia repair. The current evidence suggests that biologic grafts perform similarly to other surgical options. Biologic grafts are associated with a high salvage rate when faced with infection.

Background Early surgical results after emergency repairs for the most frequent ventral hernias (epigastric, umbilical, and incisional) are not well described. Thus, the aim of present study was to investigate early results and risk factors for poor 30-day outcome after emergency versus elective repair for ventral hernias. Methods All patients undergoing epigastric, umbilical, or incisional hernia repair registered in the Danish Hernia Database during the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2010 were included in the prospective study. Follow-up was obtained through administrative data from the Danish National Patient Register. Results In total, 10,041 elective and 935 emergency repairs were included. The risk for 30-day mortality, reoperation, and readmission was significantly higher (by a factor 2–15) after emergency repairs than after elective repairs ( p  ≤ 0.003). In addition, there were significantly more patients with concomitant bowel resection after emergency repairs than after elective repairs ( p  < 0.001). Independent risk factors for emergency umbilical/epigastric hernia repair were female gender, older age, hernia defects >2–7 cm, and repair for a primary hernia (vs recurrent hernia) (all p  < 0.05). Independent risk factors for emergency incisional hernia repair were female gender, increasing age, and hernia defects ≤7 cm (all p  < 0.05). Conclusions Emergency umbilical/epigastric or incisional hernia repair was beset with up to 15-fold higher mortality, reoperation, and readmission rates than elective repair. Older age, female gender, and umbilical hernia defects between 2 and 7 cm or incisional hernia defects up to 7 cm were important risk factors for emergency repair.

Background There is still considerable debate regarding the best operative approach to ventral hernia repair. Using two large statewide databases, this study sought to evaluate the longitudinal outcomes and associated costs of laparoscopic and open ventral hernia repair. Methods All patients undergoing elective ventral hernia repair from 2007–2011 were identified from inpatient discharge data from California and New York. In-hospital morbidity, in-hospital mortality, incidence of readmission, and incidence of revisional ventral hernia repair were evaluated as a function of surgical technique. The associated costs of medical care for laparoscopic versus open ventral hernia repair were evaluate for both the index procedure and all subsequent admissions and procedures within the study period. Results A total of 13,567 patients underwent elective ventral hernia repair with mesh; 9228 (69 %) underwent OVHR and 4339 (31 %) underwent LVHR. At time of the index procedure, LVHR was associated with a lower incidence of reoperation (OR 0.29, CI 0.12–0.58, p  = 0.001), wound disruption (OR 0.35, CI 0.16–0.78, p  = 0.01), wound infection (OR 0.50, CI 0.25–0.70, p  < 0.001), blood transfusion (OR 0.47, CI 0.36–0.61, p  < 0.001), ARDS (OR 0.74, CI 0.54–0.99, p  < 0.05), and total index visit complications (OR 0.72, CI 0.64–0.80, p  < 0.001). LVHR was associated with significantly fewer readmissions (OR 0.81, CI 0.75–0.88, p  < 0.001) and a lower risk for revisional VHR (OR 0.75, CI 0.64–0.88, p < 0.001). LVHR was associated with lower total costs at 1 year ($3451, CI 1892–5011, p  < 0.001). Conclusions Open ventral hernia repair was associated with a higher incidence of perioperative complications, postoperative readmissions and need for revisional hernia repair when compared to laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, even when controlling for patient sociodemographics. In congruence, open ventral hernia repair was associated with higher costs for both the index hernia repair and tallied over the length of follow-up for readmissions and revisional hernia repair.

IntroductionGoni Moreno’s procedure was described 60 years ago as a solution for giant hernias repair through the creation of a progressive preoperative pneumoperitoneum (PPP). The main objective of the present study is to assess its effectiveness in terms of primary fascial closures. The secondary objectives of this study are to explore the morbidity and mortality associated with Moreno’s procedure using 40 years of data from a large cohort of patients.Materials and methodsThis is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent PPP procedures between October 1974 and January 2019 at the digestive surgery unit at Grenoble University Hospital, France. Data were reviewed to assess the preoperative demographic characteristics of the patients, procedure, postoperative course, complication following Clavien–Dindo classification and 30-day outcomes.Results162 procedures were attempted. The mean age of patients was 57.8 years. 83 patients had a history of chronic respiratory disease (51.2%). The mean BMI was 33.2 kg/m2, and 52 patients were obese (32.1%) Half of the patients were classified as ASA score III. Success rate of fascial closures was 95.7%. The global rate of complication during the insufflation period and after surgical repair of the hernia was 51.8% (n = 84). Among these, only 16.7% (n = 27) were major according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. The global mortality rate was 3.1%.ConclusionGoni Moreno PPP is an effective procedure that allows a high rate of fascial closure. The population of patients requiring such procedures presents a high-risk profile for complications regarding demographics and associated diseases.

The medical complexity of hernia patients imparts higher risk for complications, and mortality is a distinct reality. No study has stratified patients based on preoperative risk for open ventral hernia repair (VHR) specifically. We utilized the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to create a mortality risk stratification model following VHR. Patients undergoing open VHR were identified from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases. Baseline variables correlated with mortality risk were entered into stepwise regression and bootstrap analysis. β-Coefficients were used to weigh each factor, yielding the risk assessment tool. A total of 55,760 patients were included with a mortality of 1.34%. Predictors of mortality included the following: functional status (odds ratio [OR] = 2.87), liver disease (OR = 3.61), malnutrition (OR = 1.43), age greater than 65 years (OR = 2.39), American Society of Anesthesiologists 4 or higher (OR = 2.90), systemic inflammation (OR = 1.99), and contamination (OR = 2.15). Patients were risk stratified into low risk (mortality .33%), moderate risk (mortality 1.86%), high risk (mortality 8.76%), and extreme risk groups (mortality 34.2%). Unplanned reoperations and medical complications increased across risk groups. The model demonstrated high discriminatory ability with a C-statistic value of .86. This study provides an accurate model to predict mortality risk specific to open VHR. The strongest predictors were American Society of Anesthesiologists, liver disease, functional status, and older age. This tool may inform clinical decision making to reduce complications.

PurposeDeciding between surgery and non-operative management of a non-obstructive ventral hernia (VH) in a high-risk patient often poses a clinical challenge. The aim of this study is to evaluate a national series of open and laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (VHR), and to assess predictors of mortality after elective VHR.MethodsA retrospective analysis of 2008–2014 data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample was performed. All patients with a primary diagnosis of abdominal wall hernia were included. Inguinal, femoral, or diaphragmatic hernias were excluded. Patients were stratified by elective versus emergent repair. Factors associated with mortality after elective VHR were analyzed.Results103,635 patients were studied, including 14,787 (14.3%) umbilical, 63,685 (61.5%) incisional, and 25,163 (24.3%) other ventral hernias. Operative procedures included 59,993 (57.9%) elective and 43,642 (42.1%) emergent VHR. 21.3% elective VHRs were laparoscopic versus 13% in emergent cases (P < 0.001). Mesh was used in 52,642 (87.7%) elective versus 27,734 (63.5%) emergent VHR (P < 0.001). Median (interquartile range) length of stay was 2(3) days in laparoscopic and 3(3) days in open group (P < 0.001). Mortality was 0.2% (n = 135) in elective and 0.6% (n = 269) in emergent group (P < 0.001). In elective group, mortality rates were equal among laparoscopic and open VHR (0.2%), while in emergent group, it was lower in laparoscopic VHR (0.4% vs 0.6%, P = 0.028). Multivariate analysis of elective VHR showed that the following factors were associated with mortality during hospitalization: age > 50 years [Odds ratio (OR) = 1.96], male gender (OR = 2.37), congestive heart failure (OR = 2.15), pulmonary circulation disorders (OR = 5.26), coagulopathy (OR = 3.93), liver disease (OR = 1.89), fluid and electrolyte disturbances (OR = 8.66), metastatic cancer (OR = 4.66), neurological disorders (OR = 2.31), and paralysis (OR = 5.29).ConclusionsVHR has a low mortality, especially when performed laparoscopically. In patients undergoing elective VHR, higher age and some comorbidities are predictors of mortality. These include congestive heart failure, pulmonary circulation disorders, coagulopathy, liver disease, metastatic cancer, neurological disorders, and paralysis. Conservative management should be considered for these high-risk subgroups in context of the overall clinical presentation.

Introduction The long-term recurrence rate of ventral hernia repair is 20–50 %, with a higher rate of recurrence in cases that do not use mesh. Previous teachings have cautioned against the use of mesh in contaminated wounds. Therefore, emergent ventral hernia repair is often performed without the use of mesh. Our aim is to determine if mesh is used in these cases and its effect on 30-day wound-related morbidity using the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database. Methods All emergency ventral hernia repairs performed from 2005 to 2013 were identified. The effect of mesh on postoperative morbidity and mortality was investigated. Significance was defined as p  < 0.05. Results A total of 2449 patients met inclusion criteria. The use of mesh was associated with a significantly longer operative time for all wound classes and increased risk of return to the operating room in contaminated cases. Patients who returned to the operating room did not return to the OR for mesh or hernia-related complications. Conclusions Emergency ventral hernia repair with mesh can be safely performed without an increase in wound-related or additional 30-day patient morbidity or mortality. Additional studies are needed to determine the long-term outcomes of mesh utilization in this cohort.

BackgroundAbdominal wall hernias are common in patients with ascites. Elective surgical repair is recommended for the treatment of abdominal wall hernias. However, surgical hernia repair in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites is controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of elective surgical hernia repair in patients with liver cirrhosis with and without refractory ascites.MethodFrom January 2005 to June 2018, we retrospectively reviewed the records of consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent a surgical hernia repair.ResultsThis study included 107 patients; 31 patients (29.0%) had refractory ascites. Preoperatively, cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites had a higher median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score (13.0 vs 11.0, P = 0.001) than those without refractory ascites. The 30-day mortality rate (3.2% vs 0%, P = 0.64) and the risk of recurrence (hazard ratio 0.410; 95% CI 0.050–3.220; P = 0.39) did not differ significantly between cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites and cirrhotic patients without refractory ascites. Among cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites, albumin (P = 0.23), bilirubin (P = 0.37), creatinine (P = 0.97), and sodium levels (P = 0.35) did not change significantly after surgery.ConclusionIn advanced liver cirrhosis patients with refractory ascites, hernias can be safely treated with elective surgical repair. Mortality rate within 30 days did not differ by the presence or absence of refractory ascites. Elective hernia repair might be beneficial for treatment of abdominal wall hernia in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites.

We hypothesize that patients with compensated cirrhosis undergoing elective UHR have an improved mortality compared to those undergoing emergent UHR. The NIS was queried for patients undergoing UHR by CPT code, and ICD-10 codes were used to define separate patient categories of non-cirrhosis (NC), compensated cirrhosis (CC) and decompensated cirrhosis (DC). A total of 32,526 patients underwent UHR, 97% no cirrhosis, 1.1% compensated cirrhosis, 1.7% decompensated cirrhosis. On logistic regression, cirrhosis was found to be independently associated with mortality (OR 2.841, CI 2.14–3.77). On subset analysis of only cirrhosis patients, elective repair was found to be protective from mortality (OR 0.361, CI 0.15–0.87, p = 0.02). In this retrospective review, cirrhosis as well as emergent UHR in cirrhotic patients were independently associated with mortality. More specifically, electively (rather than emergently) repairing an umbilical hernia in cirrhotic patients was independently associated with a 64% reduction in mortality. •Mortality between compensated cirrhosis and noncirrhotic patients are similar.•Elective UHR mortality is decreased compared to emergent repair.•Elective UHR should be performed in the setting of compensated cirrhosis.