A ground-breaking project led by specialists at the Royal Devon is set to revolutionise care for patients with a common type of hernia. 

Developed in close collaboration with leading healthcare professionals and patients across Europe, the European Incisional Hernia Guidelines are designed to empower surgeons and primary care practitioners with robust and evidence-based recommendations, streamlining the assessment and treatment of incisional hernias.

This will ultimately lead to improved outcomes for patients such as faster recovery from surgery, less likelihood of incisional hernias reoccurring, and better long-term health.

Incisional hernias, a condition where organs or tissue protrude through a weakened area of the abdominal wall, manifest as lumps that can vary in size and severity. They are more likely to emerge where abdominal surgery has happened before, such as the site of an appendectomy, and can cause pain and discomfort whilst posing potential health risks. Treatment usually involves surgery that will repair the abdominal wall and make it stronger.

In the past, healthcare experts have worked to find out how often incisional hernias occur and have shared best practices by publishing guidelines and frameworks. However, much of the existing guidance has traditionally focused on more complicated cases.

The Royal Devon team wanted to shine a spotlight on midline incisional hernias in adults, one of the most common types of hernia that can be closed without the need for complicated techniques. By doing so, they aim to equip medical practitioners with the knowledge and tools to confidently tackle these common conditions.

David Sanders, Royal Devon Consultant Upper GI and Abdominal Wall Surgeon and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Exeter, said:

"We are extremely proud that surgeons from the academic unit of Abdominal Wall and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery in North Devon were chosen to lead this extensive European project, generously sponsored by the European Hernia Society."

The initiative was three years in the making, involving collaboration between patients, methodologists from the organisations GRADE and Cochrane, and other key stakeholders across 14 European countries.

The guidelines offer a comprehensive and robust review of the evidence surrounding this condition, which is often managed in different ways. They will provide valuable guidance to surgeons not only in Europe, but also globally, with the potential to benefit thousands of patients"

The guidelines have been published by the British Journal of Surgery and are available as open access. You can read more on the British Journal of Surgery website.

Reference

Sanders DL, Pawlak MM, Simons MP, Aufenacker T, Balla A, Berger C, Berrevoet F, de Beaux AC, East B, Henriksen NA, Klugar M, Langaufová A, Miserez M, Morales-Conde S, Montgomery A, Pettersson PK, Reinpold W, Renard Y, Slezáková S, Whitehead-Clarke T, Stabilini C. (2023). Midline incisional hernia guidelines: the European Hernia Society . British Journal of Surgery, Online ahead of print.