Nationwide analysis of prolonged hospital stay and readmission after elective ventral hernia repair

INTRODUCTION: Early outcome after elective ventral hernia repair is unsatisfactory, but detailed analyses are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the aetiology of prolonged hospital stay (LOS), readmission and death < 30 days after elective ventral hernia repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study was a nationwide case-control study based on prospective results from elective ventral hernia repairs (incisional, umbilical/epigastric, parastomal and other rare ventral hernia repairs) performed in Denmark during 2008. The exclusion criteria were emergency operation and ventral hernia repair in addition to another surgical procedure. The study group were patients with poor outcome (a LOS >= 5 days and/or readmission and/or death <= 30 days) and the control group were patients without a poor outcome. Major complications were defined as severe and potentially fatal complications. RESULTS: The cohort included 2,258 patients (a study group counting 258 patients (259 repairs) and a control group comprising 2,000 patients (2,016 repairs)). Patients in the study group underwent repair significantly more often for incisional (76% versus 28%, p < 0.001), parastomal (3% versus 1%, p = 0.001) and recurrent hernia (21% versus 12%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, hernia defects were significantly larger (median 8 cm versus 2 cm, p < 0.001) in the study group than in the control group. Prolonged LOS was mainly due to pain (27%), major complications (19%), and seroma formation (9%). Readmissions were primarily caused by wound infections and pain. CONCLUSION: Readmissions and prolonged hospital stay after ventral hernia repair were mainly due to pain, major complications, wound infections and seroma formation.