Elective hernia repair in patients with chronic liver disease was far safer than emergent repair and carried an acceptable level of morbidity and mortality, according to an analysis of all cases performed at the Cleveland Clinic from 2001-2015.
In a chart review of 253 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) who underwent hernia repair between January 2001 and December 2015, the rate of postoperative 30-day morbidity and mortality was 27% for nonemergent repairs, compared with 60% in emergent repairs.
The 90-day mortality rate also was higher for emergent repairs (10%) than for nonemergent repairs (3.7%), reported Clayton C. Petro, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, and his coauthors.
Thirty-day morbidity and mortality was defined as incidence of surgical-site infection (SSI), wound dehiscence, bacterial peritonitis, decompensated liver failure, postoperative admission to the intensive care unit, unplanned hospital readmission, unplanned reoperation, and 30-day mortality. CLD severity was determined using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), age-adjusted CCI, Child-Turcott-Pugh Score, laboratory values, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) Score.
Of the 253 patients, 186 (74%) had nonemergent repairs and 67 (26%) had emergent repairs; 91 patients (36%) experienced a total of 159 morbidity and mortality events, Dr. Petro and coauthors said.
Emergent repairs had significantly higher rates of postoperative ICU admission than nonemergent repairs (27% vs. 5%; P less than .0001). Emergent repairs also had higher rates of bacterial peritonitis (10% vs 3%; P = .02), unplanned reoperation (9% vs 1%; P = .005), and unplanned readmission (27% vs 14%, P = .02).
“This large single-center cohort of 253 CLD patients suggests that non-emergent hernia repairs have relatively acceptable rates of [morbidity and mortality], even with advanced liver disease,” the authors wrote. “The dramatic increase in postoperative complications and 90-day mortality in the emergent setting supports the practice of elective repair when possible.”
No disclosures or conflicts of interest were reported.
SOURCE: Petro C et al. Am J Surg. 2019:217;59-65.