Hernia Surgery
More About Open Surgery
An open hernia repair requires an incision about the length of the lump that is present. The tissue layers are divided until the hole is identified. The tissue around the hole is dissected to find good, strong, healthy tissue, known as fascia. The fascia is the gristly layer that provides the strength to your abdominal wall. The hole is then closed, either by suturing together the good strong tissue on either side of the hole or by applying a synthetic mesh across it to patch the hole. Following the repair, the layers of tissue are brought back together with sutures and the skin is closed with stainless steel staples, dissolvable sutures or non-dissolvable sutures. Occasionally, a small amount of skin is also removed to leave a better cosmetic result.
How long does open hernia surgery take to perform?
Usually the operation takes from 30 minutes to two hours depending on the size of the hernia and the type of anesthesia used. It is generally true that the smaller the incisional hernia the more rapid the procedure. However, incisional hernia repairs can be long, difficult procedures when intestine is stuck in the hernia space. Occasionally, it is necessary to remove a small piece of intestine that has been injured by its presence in the hernia. In addition, it is often necessary in larger incisional hernias to free the intestine of all scar tissue that has accumulated from a previous operation.
Do patients go home on the same day after surgery?
Years ago, patients undergoing an incisional hernia repair stayed in the hospital for a week or longer. Today, small incisional hernia repairs are often done as outpatient procedures. Patients come in, have the surgery performed and go home after a brief period in the recovery room. Obviously, if a patient is not ready to go home or has other illnesses, such as heart disease, which require longer observation, that patient will be kept overnight. Please rest assured that we do not send patients home unless they are ready.
Patients with large incisional hernias that require either bowel surgery or extensive breakup of scar tissue need to stay in the hospital for a few days. The intestine does not function properly for a few days after it is manipulated in surgery. The patient can go home once he or she passes flatus and can eat. The pain associated with a very long incision is another reason patients need to stay in the hospital for a few days. These patients go home once the pain is controlled with oral medications. Overall, less than 50% of people undergoing an incisional hernia need to stay in the hospital overnight.
Back | Hernias |
