FREQUENCY OF WOUND INFECTION IN INGUINAL HERNIORRAPHY WITH MESH REPAIR

Background: inguinal hernia is a common surgical problem. mesh repair is considered as the best procedure for inguinal hernia repair. there is increased chance of wound infection using mesh. objective of this study was to determine the frequency of surgical site infection in mesh repair for inguinal hernia in our setup. material & methods: this descriptive study was conducted in surgical unit, dhq teaching hospital, d.i.khan, pakistan from january 2011 to january 2013. a total of 120 male patients above the age of 30 year were included. patients with co-morbid conditions or those presented as strangulated hernia were excluded. a proforma designed for study, was used for data collection. antibiotic prophylaxis was given in the form of 1 gram of ceftriaxone 15 minutes prior to induction of anesthesia. spinal anesthesia was given in 96 (80%) cases while 24(20%) were operated under general anesthesia. the mesh used was polypropylene (prolene). patients were followed for 6 months to determine the incidence of wound infection. data was analyzed using the spss version 13.0. results: a total of 120 male patients were included in the study, with mean age of 48.26+8.3 years and range of 30-80 years. the hernias on right side were more common 92(76.66%) and 75(62.5%) were indirect. out of 120 cases, 85(70.83%) patients were hospitalized for 24 hours, 26(21.66%) patients were retained for 48 hours, while 9(7.5%) patients had prolonged hospital stay due to complications like haematoma, seroma and wound infection. frequency of wound infection was found in 6(5%) patients. all patients had only superficial wound infection and were treated by giving intravenous antibiotics according to the culture and sensitivity report, drainage and local wound care. no patient needed mesh removal for control of infection. conclusion: mesh repair is simple, safe and effective procedure. frequency of wound infection in mesh repair is acceptably lower with good antibiotic cover