Clinical surgery-InternationalCommentary: Nationwide analysis of complications related to inguinal hernia surgery in Finland: a 5 year register study of 55,000 operations
Section snippets
Methods
The retrospective material consisted of 250 complications reported to the National Patient Insurance Association from January 2003 to December 2007. All complications occurring during open or laparoscopic repair of inguinal or femoral hernias in adult patients were included in the analysis. Complications were divided into moderate (n = 135) and major (unreasonable) (n = 115) complications. Indications for surgery in complicated cases were inguinal hernia (n = 196), inguinal pain (n = 23),
Results
From 2003 through 2007, some 55,000 inguinal hernioplasties were carried out at communal and private hospitals in Finland (Table 1). Most procedures (>80%) were performed using an open mesh technique. The number of laparoscopic and femoral hernia repairs remained rather stable. During the 5-year study period, 250 complications were reported to the National Patient Insurance Association. Chronic pain and wound complications accounted for more than two thirds of all reported side effects of
Comments
Our registry-based study indicated that inguinal hernia repair is seldom associated with severe postoperative complications and patient discomfort. The reported failure rate was only 4.5 per 1,000 inguinal operations. Most complications were related to the repair of primary hernias, to nonemergency operations, and to the use of the open technique. This is in line with the frequency and types of hernia procedures performed annually in Finland. If the total amount of operations was included in
Acknowledgments
The technical assistance of Mrs Saija Lehtinen and Mrs Pirjo Halonen (biostatistical analysis) is greatly acknowledged. We thank Mrs Lisa Kivela for revising the English. The experiments comply with the current laws of Finland.
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