Trends in Incisional and Ventral Hernia Repair: A Population Analysis From 2001 to 2021

Area of Science:

• Surgical Epidemiology
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
• Public Health

Background:

• Incisional and ventral hernias are highly prevalent in adults.
• Recent US data show increasing trends in elective and emergency incisional and ventral hernia repair (IVHR).
• This study analyzes Australian population trends in IVHR over two decades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine Australian population trends in incisional and ventral hernia repair (IVHR) from 2000 to 2021.
• To analyze incidence rates by age, sex, and hernia subcategory.
• To evaluate trends in emergency repairs and day surgery proportions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study using Australian Institute of Health and Welfare procedure data (2000-2021).
• Australian Bureau of Statistics population data used to calculate incidence rates per 100,000 population.
• Simple linear regression applied to evaluate trends over time.

Main Results:

• A total of 809,308 IVHR operations were performed.
• Population-adjusted IVHR incidence increased by 9.578 per year.
• Significant increases observed in primary umbilical hernia repair (1.177/year) and emergency repairs for complicated hernias (0.576/year).
• Only 20.2% of IVHR procedures were performed as day surgery.

Conclusions:

• Australia experienced a significant rise in IVHR operations over the past 20 years, particularly for primary ventral hernias.
• Emergency IVHR for complicated hernias also saw a significant increase.
• The low rate of day surgery for IVHR falls below recommended targets, suggesting potential for increased day surgery utilization for elective cases.