1. I saw a report on mesh —
now I'll never get a hernia mesh repair!
Patients usually overreact after reading unbalanced reports about her-
nia repairs and complications attributed to mesh. Case in point:
'Hernia mesh complications affect more than 100,000.' Last month's
BBC report (osmag.net/eZ9EeF) pointed to a 12% to 30% complication
rate. That is much higher than high-level data support. The report
lumped all hernias together, but we know that the risks associated
with the repair of abdominal wall hernias differ from the risks of
pelvic and inguinal hernias. The report's discussion of complications
and chronic pain is incorrect or, at best, misleading. This causes anxi-
ety for patients.
In the same report, a well-known and highly respected specialist,
reported performing "3,000 mesh removals because of chronic pain —
after which only 2 of the patients had not gone on to become 'pain-
free.'" That's quite an amazing outcome, but it hasn't been substantiat-
ed.
Buried under the mistakes and misleading discussion, the report
made a valid point: Hernia surgery, as with any surgery, has risks and
complications; the use of mesh adds to the risk of mesh-related com-
plications.
2. Should I expect
complications from my hernia mesh surgery?
Absolutely not. Surgeons do not offer an elective operation to their
patients if complications are an expected outcome. When patients
come to me, I make sure to assure them that the vast majority of her-
nia repairs will have excellent outcomes without complications.
Complications, if they occur, are not always related to the mesh. And
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