Study on the Need for Postoperative Analgesic Medication in Patients where Polypropylene Mesh was Used in the Surgical Treatment of Incisional Hernias

Abstract

One of the most common postoperative complications that may occur in patients treated for incisional hernias is pain. The occurrence of postoperative pain refractory to drug treatment may worsen the prognosis of these patients. We have carried out a retrospective observational study in which we have introduced 122 patients operated for incisional hernia at the Surgical Clinic No. 1 in the Tirgu Mures Emergency County Clinical Hospital. The patients included in the study were divided into two groups: group A consisting of 80 patients where the polypropylene mesh was used over the aponeurosis in the surgical treatment of the incisional hernias, and the group B consisting of 42 patients where no prosthetic materials were used in the surgical treatment of the incisional hernias. All patients were administrated 1 g of sodium metamizole monohydrate for the treatment of pain. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that, on the day of surgery, on the first, second and third postoperative day there were statistically significant differences in the need for analgesic medication between the two groups, the need for the analgesic medication being lower for group A. In contrast, on the 4th postoperative day there were no statistically significant differences in the need for analgesic medication between the two groups. In conclusion, our study showed that, when using the polypropylene mesh in the surgical treatment of incisional hernias, the need for analgesic medication is lower in the immediate postoperative period compared to cases where surgical meshes are not used in the surgical treatment of these patients.