Application of tension-free hernia repair under local anesthesia in patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by inguinal hernia

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of tension-free hernia repair under local anesthesia in patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by inguinal hernia and related application experience. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of167 patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by inguinal hernia who underwent tension-free hernia repair under local anesthesia in our hospital from January 2007 to December 2015. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results All tension-free hernia repair surgeries were successfully completed, with a mean time of operation of (55. 22 ± 21. 67) min and a mean postoperative hospital stay of (3. 14 ±1. 86) d. Of all patients, 25 (14. 97%) experienced complications, and there were 47 complications in total. According to the Child-Pugh class, the patients were divided into Child-Pugh class A/B group and Child-Pugh class C group, and there were significant differences in the mean postoperative hospital stay ( (2. 72 ± 1. 25) d vs (4. 43 ± 3. 11) d, t = 1. 984, P < 0. 05) and incidence rate of postoperative complications (8. 78% vs 63. 1%, χ2= 2. 861, P < 0. 05) . In the Child-Pugh class C group, there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of postoperative complications between the patients without improvement in liver function and those with improvement (100% vs 86. 7%, P > 0. 05) , but there was a significant difference in the length of postoperative hospital stay (6. 85 d vs 3. 80 d, P <0. 05) . Conclusion Tension-free hernia repair under local anesthesia is a simple, safe, and effective method for the treatment of inguinal hernia complicated by liver cirrhosis. Perioperative liver function evaluation and maintenance is important to ensure the implementation of surgery and good postoperative recovery.