Evaluating the Impact of Diabetes on Hernia Management by Exploring Pathologies and Comorbidities in High-Risk...

Diabetes mellitus is a recognized risk factor for impaired wound healing and greater postoperative complications. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the effect of diabetes on outcomes of hernia management in high-risk patients, including wound healing, recurrence, and postoperative infections.

This retrospective observational study was carried out between March and August 2024 and features 120 recruited patients who underwent elective hernia repair. The patients were stratified into two groups: group A (diabetics; n=60) and group B (non-diabetics; n=60). Age, BMI, comorbidities, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score were recorded as preoperative data. Operative time, wound healing duration, incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs), and recurrence over six months were analyzed during intraoperative and postoperative periods from surgical records. Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS Statistics version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), using the chi-square test and independent t-test with a p-value < 0.05 as statistically significant.

Diabetics had significantly longer operative times (p = 0.001). Patients in group A (with prolonged drainage time) had longer wound healing (17.2 ± 3.4 vs. 12.5 ± 2.7 days, p < 0.001), higher incidence of SSI (21.7% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.015), and longer drain retention (p < 0.001). Diabetics also had significantly longer hospital stays (6.3 vs. 4.5 days; p < 0.001). Diabetic recurrence was more than in non-diabetics at six months (11.7% vs. 3.3%), despite a p-value of 0.085. Diabetic patients also expressed trends towards increased formation of seroma and chronic pain.

Diabetic patients requiring hernia repair are at higher risk for delayed healing of wounds, surgical site infection, and longer hospitalization.