The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on surgically treating inguinal hernias- A retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim: In this investigation, we looked at how the COVID 19 pandemic affected the number, complication rates, and epidemic features of patients who had surgery at our facility for inguinal hernias. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent inguinal hernia operations at the Department of General Surgery Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Kanchipuram, between November 2020 and November 2021. The descriptive statistics employed were percentages, means, standard deviations, medians, and interquartile ranges. When comparing two groups, the Mann-Whitney U test was applied to changes that deviate from the normally distributed spectrum. The Pearson Chi-Square test and Fisher's Exact test were used to investigate the relationships between qualitative variables. For all statistical analyses, 0.05 was deemed to be the significant value. Results: 65 individuals (Group 1) underwent surgery between November 2020 and November 2021, and 26 patients between March 11, 2020, and 2021. (Group 2). In Group 2, there was a statistically significant rise in the rate of incarceration and strangulation (44.6% in Group 1, 84.6% in Group 2, p=0.008) as well as a statistically significant rise in the proportion of female patients (4.6% in Group 1, 23.1% in Group 2, p=0.008). Conclusions: The rate of detention and strangling increased as during COVID-19 pandemic. The precipitous decline in elective procedures or the rise in the proportion of female patients admitted during the COVID period can be blamed for the rise in complication rates.