While hernia repair surgery is generally very safe, complications can occur.
Complications may include:
- Bleeding: In a very small percentage of patients, bleeding can occur inside the incision. This can cause swelling and skin discoloration/bruising.
- Infection: While there is a small risk of infection with any surgical procedure, you are at higher risk if you have had an intestinal blockage or a strangulated hernia that leads to tissue death. Typically, a strangulated hernia or intestinal blockage only develops when a hernia is left untreated for too long, leading to an emergency surgery.
- Recurrence of hernia: If the area undergoes strain during the healing process, a hernia can recur.
The risk of complications is higher if you are having emergency hernia repair surgery. Other factors that increase your risk for complications include older age, obesity, smoking, poorly controlled diabetes, or surgery that is performed for a recurrent hernia.
Choosing an experienced surgeon can limit complications
It’s important to understand how experienced your surgeon is with hernia repair and ask questions about their quality standards and outcomes. At the Hernia Center of NGMC, our surgeons are highly experienced and have a complication rate that is significantly lower than the national average: <1% for inguinal hernias and approximately 8% for all ventral/incisional hernias. This is one of the reasons our Hernia Center has been certified as a Center of Excellence.
We have performed 7,500 minimally invasive hernia repairs and more than 2,000 robotic hernia repairs. We actively track hernia recurrence and complications, and we have fewer than the national average in both categories.
Delaying surgery can cause complications
It’s important to understand that while hernia surgery does have some risks, delaying treatment for a hernia also carries risks. A hernia, left untreated for too long, can lead to emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia or bowel obstruction. Emergency hernia surgery does carry more risk, and it may also prevent you from being able to select a hernia surgeon of your choice to perform the surgery.
Request an appointment
To request an appointment, please call our scheduling coordinator at 770-219-4040 or use the contact form on this page.
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