Abstract
A high incidence of complications related to bleeding was observed after open prosthetic inguinal hernia repair. The site of injection of low-dose heparin into the abdominal wall was thought to be a possible causal factor for these complications. The wound complication rate after repair of primary unilateral inguinal hernias was recorded for 51 patients who had been given abdominal wall injections of heparin. Subsequently the injection site was changed to the upper limb in a further 63 patients and the incidence of wound complications recorded. A significantly higher incidence of haematomas and seromas was found in the abdominal wall injection group (39.2% vs 17.5%, P = 0.01). The role of low-dose heparin prophylaxis in inguinal hernia repair is discussed. We conclude that in those patients receiving heparin prophylaxis the injections should be given at a site remote from the operative area.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bailey I. S., Karran S. E., Toyn K., Brough P., Ranaboldo C., Karran S. J. Community surveillance of complications after hernia surgery. BMJ. 1992 Feb 22;304(6825):469–471. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6825.469. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Beerlage H. P., de la Rosette J. J., Frima A. J. Association between haematoma after inguinal hernia repair and site of heparin injection. Eur J Surg. 1992 May;158(5):287–288. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- De Lange S. Choice of injection site for low dose heparin in inguinal herniorrhaphy. Br J Surg. 1982 Apr;69(4):234–235. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800690423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dommering M. The site of injection for low dose heparin in inguinal herniorrhaphy; a double-blind trial. Neth J Surg. 1981 Mar;33(1):23–24. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lichtenstein I. L., Shulman A. G., Amid P. K., Montllor M. M. The tension-free hernioplasty. Am J Surg. 1989 Feb;157(2):188–193. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(89)90526-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Riber C., Alstrup N., Nymann T., Bogstad J. W., Wille-Jørgensen P., Tønnesen H. Postoperative thromboembolism after day-case herniorrhaphy. Br J Surg. 1996 Mar;83(3):420–421. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800830341. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Verstraete M. Prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism. BMJ. 1997 Jan 11;314(7074):123–125. doi: 10.1136/bmj.314.7074.123. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wright D. M., Kennedy A., Baxter J. N., Fullarton G. M., Fife L. M., Sunderland G. T., O'Dwyer P. J. Early outcome after open versus extraperitoneal endoscopic tension-free hernioplasty: a randomized clinical trial. Surgery. 1996 May;119(5):552–557. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6060(96)80266-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]