Emergency department utilization and predictors of mortality for inpatient inguinal hernia repairs.

Background: Although inguinal hernias are common surgical diagnoses, minimally symptomatic patients are often not scheduled for repairs and are asked to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms. We investigated factors associated with emergency department (ED) utilization for inguinal hernia repairs and determined whether ED utilization affected mortality for this otherwise electively treated condition.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2009-2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients who presented through the ED and were then admitted for unilateral inguinal hernia repairs.