The feasibility and safety of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair as a 24-h day surgery for patients aged 80 years and older: a retrospective cohort study

Introduction As the proportion of aging adults increases and inguinal hernia repair becomes increasingly popular as a day surgery, the demand for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair as a day surgery is increasing among patients aged 80 years and older. Relevant research needs to be completed, so we aimed to evaluate laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair as a 24-h day surgery for this group of patients.Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we utilized propensity score matching to analyze the data of patients who underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair at a day surgery center between January 1, 2019, and March 1, 2022. Patients were divided into >= 80 years old and < 80 years old groups. We compared the perioperative laboratory results, perioperative outcomes, and 1-year complications between the two groups.Result A total of 554 patients were included in the study. After propensity score matching, 292 patients were included in the matched cohort (98 patients in the >= 80 years old group and 194 patients in the < 80 years old group). During hospitalization, there were significant differences in ASA classification, Caprini score, length of hospital stays, risk of thrombosis, and delayed discharge rate. No significant difference was found in the incidence of total postoperative complications between the two groups at the 1-year follow-up (HR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.36-2.54, P = 0.96).Conclusion In our study, LIHR as a 24-h day surgery was safe and effective for patients over 80 years old. However, to reduce the rate of delayed discharge, cautious perioperative evaluation is necessary.