Do surgical drains reduce the postoperative surgical complications following incisional hernia repair? A systematic...

Abdominal surgeries are common surgical procedures worldwide. Incisional hernias commonly develop after abdominal wall surgery. Surgery is the definite treatment for most incisional hernias but carries a higher rate of complications. Although frequently used, the real benefit of using drain tubes to reduce surgical complications after incisional hernia repair is uncertain.

PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies that compared the outcomes of drain vs. no-drain placement and the risk of complications in patients undergoing incisional hernia repair. Primary endpoints were infection, seroma formation, length of hospital stay, and readmission rate.

From a total of 771 studies, we included 2 RCTs and 4 non-RCTs. A total of 40,325 patients were included, of which 28 497 (71%) patients used drain tubes, and 11 828 (29%) had no drains. The drain group had a significantly higher infection rate (OR 1.89; CI 1.13-3.16; P = 0.01) and mean length of hospital stay (Mean Difference-MD 2.66; 95% CI 0.81-4.52; P = 0.005). There was no difference in seroma formation and the readmission rate.

This comprehensive systematic meta-analysis concluded that drain tube placement after incisional hernia repair is associated with increased infection rate and length of hospital stay without affecting the rate of seroma formation and readmission rate. Prospective randomized studies are required to confirm these findings.