Surgical repair of abdominal wall hernias in rural southeast Nigeria: Barriers, outcomes, and opportunities for change

Abstract

Background: Abdominal wall hernias constitute a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally, but more importantly, they present a more pathetic situation in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and other developing nations. In our setting, the rate of elective repair is still too low and many cases present late, often with complications. This study aimed at documenting the spectrum, barriers to early repair, and factors that influence the outcomes of repair. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of adult patients surgically treated for abdominal wall hernia in rural southeast Nigeria between January 2014 and December 2019. Results: Overall, 975 patients were recruited: 706 (72.4%) had simple uncomplicated hernias, whereas the rest (269, 27.6%) presented in the emergency. Inguinal hernias comprised 74.1% of the cases followed by primary midline hernias (14.5%). Delayed presentation was common, with only 2.3% presenting within three months and the main reason being financial constraint (31.0%) followed by ignorance (12.2%). A third (324, 33.2%) of the patients harbored complete inguinoscrotal/inguinolabial hernias. Nearly a quarter (240, 24.6%) had comorbid illnesses, 14.9% harbored recurrent hernias, and more than a third (43.4%) had hernias with defect sizes >5 cm. Wound infection rates were 34.6% in the emergency group, 26.2% in the elderly, 20.7% for those with recurrent hernias, and 17.1% in those with comorbidities. Morbidity rates were greater in patients with hernia defects >10 cm (37.8%), inguinoscrotal/inguinolabial hernias (18.5%), and those who received bowel resection (56.7%). Generally, elevated wound infection and high overall morbidity rates were associated with emergency presentation (P = 0.000), advancing age (P = 0.030), procedures performed by a nonspecialist surgeon (P = 0.014), and large hernia variants (P = 0.000). Overall, mortality rate was 2.9%, but it was 9.7% in those with emergency repair. The main independent predictors of mortality were intestinal resection (P = 0.000), delayed presentation (0.003), advanced age (0.020), and comorbidities (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Delayed presentation, often in an emergency setup, is common among patients with abdominal wall hernias in our rural practice. Financial impediments and ignorance were the main barriers to early presentation and elective repair. Consequently, morbidity and mortality rates were high, especially in the setting of advancing age, delayed presentation, coexisting medical conditions, and bowel resection.