P C Munipalle, D Light, M Little, Y K S Viswanath, T Garud
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesbrough, UK
Introduction
Bilateral simultaneous repair of inguinal hernias is well accepted as one of the advantages of TAPP (Trans abdominal pre-peritoneal) repair compared to open procedures. Information about the operative time taken for bilateral TAPPs in comparison with unilateral TAPPs would help in planning the available resources more efficiently. The aim of this study was to compare the operative times of unilateral vs. bilateral laparoscopic inguinal hernia (TAPP) repairs.
Methods
The theatre records of all the TAPP procedures performed over a period of 8 months in a single institute were studied. The operative times for unilateral and bilateral TAPP procedures were compared.
Results
A total of 71 unilateral and 17 bilateral TAPP procedures were identified. The operative times (in minutes) were 45 – 133 (median 65) and 65 – 120 (median 71) respectively. The bilateral procedures took significantly more time than unilateral procedures as expected (p = 0.036), but only at an average of 6 min extra operative time per patient.
Conclusions
Bilateral TAPPs utilise minimal extra time compared to unilateral TAPPs. This information may help in utilising the operative theatre resources more efficiently from logistic point of view.
Session: Poster Presentation
Program Number: P283