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Quantifying the cost of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair
Philip Smart1, Lindsay Castles
1Department of Surgery, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia. philip.smart@austin.org.au
Background:
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has been widely adopted. While the clinical advantages and disadvantages are well-quantified, the economic cost is less well-studied.
Methods:
A retrospective audit and case review of a single-centre public hospital consecutive case series was performed using data captured from real-time stock usage tracking technology and review of electronic medical records.
Results:
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair requires 11-min (21%) extra theatre time and costs $1268 (370%) more for single-use disposable equipment and prostheses.
Conclusions:
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair does not require significantly more theatre time, but has a higher short-term in-hospital cost. Repair technique should be tailored according to patient factors.