Are we following guidelines in inguinal hernia repair? An evaluation of practice patterns in the abdominal core health quality collaborative

Abstract

Aim : The HerniaSurge Group established inguinal hernia repair guidelines to reduce recurrence and chronic pain. We evaluated whether the surgeons of the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) follow these guidelines and identify areas for improvement. Methods : A retrospective evaluation of data from the ACHQC database between 2013-2021 using 18,641 eligible subjects undergoing elective and emergent hernia repair with 30-day follow-up. Compliance with a given guideline was defined as following the recommendation in 70% of cases. Results : Twelve of 19 questions with available data met recommendations based on our above criteria. Eight recommendations with strong evidence and four recommendations with weak evidence were met. The recommendations not met were using the Shouldice technique for any non-mesh open inguinal herniorrhaphy, using local anesthesia for open repair of reducible inguinal hernias, using lightweight mesh, and avoiding the use of prophylactic antibiotics in laparoscopic herniorrhaphy. Conclusion : Despite varied techniques for inguinal hernia repair, surgeons of the ACHQC follow the majority of the recently published guidelines on the subject. While further research is needed to strengthen the existing guidelines, a standardized approach will facilitate this effort while aiming to reduce negative patient outcomes.