Two cross-linked porcine dermal implants in a single patient undergoing hernia repair

A 50-year-old woman with a history of multiple recurrent incisional hernias and multiple comorbidities received two different porcine dermal implants during the same procedure due to the availability of products in stock. At 3.5 months following this procedure, the patient developed a secondary hernia inferior and lateral to the site of previous surgery. Both the implants were biopsied and sent for pathological evaluation. One implant was compliant and well integrated while the other was non-compliant and exhibited extensive foreign body reaction. In this case report, we examine the differences between the two porcine implants that may have caused them to react so differently in the same subject under the same conditions.