Innovations for Incisional Hernia Prevention

Incisional hernias are the most frequent long-term complication of abdominal surgery, resulting in considerable patient morbidity and increased health care costs. These hernias frequently result from excessive tension concentrated at points along the suture line of the abdominal closure. While ample research is focused on developing improved repair materials, the optimal solution to the problem of incisional hernias is prevention. Accordingly, some investigators have postulated that incisional hernias can be prevented by distributing tension more evenly along the fascial closure. Herein we describe two novel and ingenious strategies for the improved distribution of tension when closing abdomens (T-Line^® Hernia Mesh and the REBUILD Bioabsorbable™) that were conceived of and developed by surgeons.