Femoral hernia: Treatment delay and cause of death – A case report and an integrative review

Abstract

Femoral hernia is an uncommon entity in males and is limited to case reports in the medical literature. Because of the narrow neck of the femoral canal, a femoral hernia can easily incarcerate and/or strangulate. Surgical intervention is the only option for definitive treatment. We report the case of a 59-year-old male patient who presented with a 10 days history of generalised abdominal pain, distension, and a few episodes of vomiting. The patient was resuscitated, and contrast-enhanced CT tomography revealed a left femoral hernia as well as features of small bowel obstruction. A gangrenous ileal loop with perforation within the left femoral canal was discovered after surgery. The patient underwent ileal resection and ileostomy, followed by primary femoral ring repair. However, on postoperative day 3rd, the patient developed a sudden cardiac arrest and died. Proper referral, early diagnosis, and treatment are vital in cases of femoral hernia to avoid such a fatal outcome and could have changed the prognosis of the patient. It is important for peripheral health-care providers to pay attention to persistent abdominal symptoms and to be aware of the proper and timely referral.