Same day discharge, surgical training and early complications after open and laparoscopic repair of primary paraumbilical hernia.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to compare same day discharges and early complications after open and laparoscopic primary paraumbilical hernia (PUH) repair, including the procedures performed by surgical trainees (STs).
METHODS: All patients who had open (suture or mesh) and laparoscopic repair of primary PUH in the Day Surgery Unit (DSU) between January 2007 and June 2009 were identified from the hospital database. The database was questioned regarding the grade of operating surgeon, type of surgical repair, day of admission and discharge from the DSU, and a patient's return to surgical services. Data were stored in Microsoft Excel(®) (TM 2007). Statistical significance was determined using Fisher's exact test.
RESULTS: PUH was repaired in 337 patients: 252/337 (74.8 %) had open and 85/337 (25.2 %) had laparoscopic repair. Significantly, more patients were discharged home on the day of surgery after an open repair compared to the laparoscopic repair: open repair 187/252 (74.2 %), laparoscopic repair 35/85 (41.17 %), P = 0.0001. Overall early complications such as wound complications and hospital re-visits were similar in both groups: open repair 6.3 % (16/252), laparoscopic repair 11.7 % (10/85), P = 0.1554. STs performed 142/337 (42.1 %) of the PUH repairs with similar same day discharges from the DSU: STs 64.7 % (92/142), consultant surgeons 66.7 % (130/195), P = 0.7285. The difference in hernia recurrence between open repair 7/252 (2.78 %) and laparoscopic group 0/85 was not significant (P = 0.1985).
CONCLUSION: Patients with PUH repair were more likely to go home on the day of surgery after open than after laparoscopic repair. This was not affected by the grade of the operating surgeon. Early complications were similar following open and laparoscopic repair of primary PUH.