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Hernia repair
The only way to repair a hernia is, of course, through a surgery called herniorrhapy. Once a hole is created in your muscle wall, it does not shrink on its own. Therefore, outside intervention is sorely needed. Hernia repair is a rather simple procedure, usually going smoothly and fast, with little to no complications.
There have been several attempts at figuring out the perfect hernia repair surgery. In the early 20th century, people used pressure to keep their organs inside their abdomen. However, the downside to that was that once the belt or corset was removed, the hernia returned full force. A lot of people have died on the operating table of the first surgeons that have tried to close the canals or to apply some sort of mesh in order to keep everything in its rightful place.
In modern times, hernia repair has advanced greatly. Today, out of the ten procedures that were in use about twenty years ago, only two are still in use. Those two are the safest, most efficient and the easiest to recover from. In historical order, here they are:
- Open herniorrhaphy: the details of this procedure are best left to be explained by the specialists. However, the main idea is that your surgeon will make a single, long incision over your hernia area, remove the bulge (only if it is imperative, since it does contain a part of your organs) and repair the torn muscles, making sure they are strong enough to hold the organs inside. Sometimes, in more serious cases, a mesh made out of a biologically inactive plastic is placed inside the abdomen to help strengthen the abdominal wall and avoid further reappearances of the hernia. Usually and if everything goes well, this operation should not last longer than two hours.
- Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy: the more modern of the two, it presents a higher risk. The surgeon must perform a series of small cuts in several key points around your hernia bulge. In one of those he or she introduces a tube with a camera at the end so that they can see inside. In another, tiny surgical instruments, controlled by a remote control are introduced. This procedure lasts about as much as an open one, about two hours. However, the risk of infection is greater, since there are multiple cuts over your body, instead of just one.
The risks of hernia repair
Just like with any other kind of medical procedures, hernia repair surgery presents certain inherent risks:
- If your anesthesiologist has not done their job properly, you might get an overdose of anesthetics or the wrong one, causing an instant and almost always deadly anaphylactic reaction.
- If the surgery site is not disinfected correctly and completely, it is very likely that you will end up being treated for a nasty hospital infection with a bacterium that could be antibiotic resistant.
- On the operating table, you could start bleeding internally or your heart could stop beating. Due to all these incidents, some blood clots could form, reach your lungs and cause lung failure.
- After the procedure, you could over exert yourself and tear the stitches, which can lead to whole new procedure.
However, before you cancel your hernia repair surgery, you must keep in mind these complications are rare and that if you refuse this procedure, your hernia will only get worse. The trapped tissue will be completely left without a blood supply and it will die, causing you excruciating pain.
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