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Acceptable nationwide outcome after paediatric inguinal hernia repair
T Bisgaard1, H Kehlet, J Oehlenschlager
1Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, thuebisgaard@tdcadsl.dk.
Insights
This study analyzed 30-day outcomes for pediatric inguinal hernia repair in 2,476 patients. Results show acceptable outcomes with low hospital stays, morbidity, and no procedure-related mortality.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Hernia Repair Outcomes
- Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- Inguinal hernia repair is a common pediatric surgical procedure.
- Understanding short-term outcomes is crucial for patient safety and healthcare quality.
- National registries provide valuable data for surgical outcome analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe 30-day outcomes following primary inguinal hernia repair in children.
- To identify the incidence of unexpected outcomes and their contributing factors.
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of current pediatric hernia repair practices.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection from the National Patient Registry (2005-2006).
- Inclusion of 2,476 pediatric patients undergoing primary inguinal hernia repair.
- Definition of unexpected outcomes: prolonged hospital stay (>1 day), readmission, reoperation, or death within 30 days.
Main Results:
- An unexpected outcome occurred in 10.8% of patients.
- Prolonged hospital stay (8.2%) was the most common unexpected outcome.
- Low rates of readmission (2.1%), reoperation (0.7%), and complications (1.1%) were observed. Recurrence rate was 0.3%.
Conclusions:
- Nationwide results for pediatric inguinal hernia repair are acceptable.
- Low rates of prolonged hospital stay, morbidity, and no procedure-related mortality indicate safe practices.
- Further analysis of surgical department case volume may be warranted.
Purpose:
The primary objective was to describe 30-day outcomes after primary inguinal paediatric hernia repair.
Methods:
Prospectively collected data from the National Patient Registry covering a 2-year study period 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006 were collected. Unexpected outcomes were defined as either/or hospital stay for >1 day (i.e. 2 nights at hospital or more), readmission within 30 days, reoperations within 12 months after repair including repair for recurrence, and death within 30 days after repair.
Results:
The study cohort comprised 2,476 patients, and unexpected outcome was found in 267 patients/repairs (10.8 %). Prolonged hospital stay was by far the most prevalent indicator of unexpected outcome. Prolonged hospital stay was in 8.2 %, readmission in 2.1 %, reoperation in 0.7 %, and complications were observed in 1.1 %. One patient died within 30 days after repair, but death was not associated with the inguinal hernia repair. The usual technique was a simple sutured plasty (96.5 %). Emergency repair was performed in 54 patients (2.2 %) mainly in children between 0 and 2 years (79.6 %). During the 1 year follow-up, reoperation for recurrent inguinal hernia was performed in 8 children after elective repair (recurrence rate 0.3 %). Paediatric repairs were for most parts performed in surgical public hospitals, and most departments performed less than 10 inguinal hernia repairs within the 2 years study period.
Conclusion:
These nationwide results are acceptable with low numbers of patients staying more than one night at hospital, low morbidity, and no procedure-related mortality.