Timing of strangulation in adult hernias

This retrospective study aimed to determine why the incidence of strangulated hernias in adults remains high. Seventy-nine patients presented with clinical evidence of hernia strangulation which required urgent surgery during the period 1979-87. Forty-six patients (58 per cent) had noted a hernia present for at least 1 month before strangulation: 18 (23 per cent) had not reported it to their family doctor, 19 (24 per cent) were known by family practitioners or non-surgical medical personnel to have a hernia but had not been referred for surgical opinion, and nine (11 per cent) had been previously assessed surgically with a view to elective repair. Of these nine, five were considered unfit, three were on waiting lists for operation and one had refused surgery. Thirty-two patients (40 per cent) presented primarily with strangulation within days of developing a hernia. The duration of hernia before strangulation in one patient was unknown. Although an unavoidable number of patients will continue to present with strangulation within days of developing a hernia, the overall incidence could be significantly reduced by greater public awareness of the risks of hernia strangulation and by a policy of immediate patient referral and prompt elective repair.