Table 5.
Duration of convalescence as measured by time back to various activities in patients undergoing hernia repair according to allocated method of surgery. Values in parentheses are numbers of patients for whom data were available
| Activity | Median days until resumption
|
Hazard ratio* (95% CI) for open v laparoscopic repair | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laparoscopic repair | Open repair | ||
| Usual activities around house†: | |||
| Unilateral | 2.0 (160) | 4.0 (164) | 0.78 (0.60 to 0.99) |
| Bilateral | 3.0 (20) | 6.0 (24) | 0.26 (0.13 to 0.54) |
| Moving freely about house | 1.0 (197) | 3.0 (199) | 0.52 (0.40 to 0.67) |
| Walking short distances | 3.0 (197) | 4.0 (199) | 0.51 (0.40 to 0.65) |
| Social activities†: | |||
| Unilateral | 5.0 (159) | 8.0 (163) | 0.66 (0.52 to 0.84) |
| Bilateral | 5.0 (20) | 13.5 (24) | 0.23 (0.12 to 0.45) |
| Driving car | 7.0 (131) | 8.5 (132) | 0.73 (0.56 to 0.95) |
| Back to work (taking it easy)‡: | |||
| Active or heavy | 17.0 (95) | 21.0 (86) | 0.87 (0.63 to 1.20) |
| Sedentary | 10.0 (27) | 14.0 (32) | 0.41 (0.23 to 0.75) |
| Back to work (fully)‡: | |||
| Active or heavy | 21.0 (95) | 26.0 (86) | 0.89 (0.65 to 1.23) |
| Sedentary | 11.0 (27) | 18.0 (32) | 0.43 (0.24 to 0.79) |
*
After adjustment for range of predefined covariates (see text).
†
Significant interaction between type of hernia and surgical procedure.
‡
Significant interaction between physical activity of employment and surgial procedure.