Publications by authors named "Laurel J Blair"
Introduction: Outcomes following OVHR may be affected by type of component separation. In this study, outcomes including QOL of patients undergoing OVHR were evaluated based on the utilization of transversus abdominis release (TAR), posterior rectus sheath release (PRSR) alone or in combination with external oblique release (EOR + PRSR).
Methods: A prospective, single-institution study following open ventral hernia repair involving component separation was performed from May 2005 to April 2015.
Background: Patients with complex ventral hernias may benefit from preoperative optimization. This study evaluates the financial impact of preventable comorbidities (PCM) in elective open ventral hernia repair.
Methods: In this single institution prospectively collected data from 2007-2011, hospital charges (included all hernia-related visits, interventions, or readmissions) and wound-related complications in patients with PCM-diabetes, tobacco use, and obesity-were compared to patients without such risks using standard statistical methods.
Background: Biologic mesh choice in ventral hernia repair is challenging due to lack of prospective data. This study examines long-term, single-center biologic mesh outcomes.
Methods: Prospective operative outcomes data was queried for open ventral hernia repair with biologic mesh.
Background: Few studies predict which patients have dissolution of their postoperative discomfort or develop chronic pain after ventral hernia repair (VHR). This study develops a predictive model to determine which patients are at the greatest risk of chronic pain after VHR.
Methods: A prospective study of VHR patients was performed via the International Hernia Mesh Registry.
Background: Indocyanine green (ICG) is a dye used in medicine since the mid-1950s for a variety of applications in in cardiology, ophthalmology, and neurosurgery; however, its fluorescent properties have only recently been used in the intraoperative evaluation of tissue perfusion.
Method: A literature review was conducted on the characterization and employment of ICG within the medical field. Historical and current context of ICG was examined while also considering implications for its future use.
Background: Preoperative imaging with computed tomography (CT) scans can be useful in preoperative planning. We hypothesized that CT measurements of ventral hernia defect size and abdominal wall thickness (AWT) would correlate with postoperative complications and need for complex abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR).
Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent open ventral hernia repair and had preoperative abdominal CT imagining were identified from an institutional hernia-specific surgery outcomes database at our tertiary referral hernia center.
The choice of general (GA) versus local anesthesia (LA) in open inguinal hernia repair (OIHR) has a substantial financial impact and may influence clinical outcomes. Our study compares postoperative quality of life (QOL) in patients undergoing OIHR under LA versus GA. A cooperative prospective study from centers in 10 countries was performed through the International Hernia Mesh Registry from 2007 to 2012.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuprapubic hernias, parailiac or flank hernias, and lumbar hernias are difficult to repair and are associated with high-recurrence rates owing to difficulty in obtaining substantive overlap and especially mesh fixation due to bone being a margin of the hernia. Orthopedic suture anchors used for ligament reconstruction have been used to attach prosthetic material to bony surfaces and can be used in the repair of these hernias where suture fixation was impossible. A prospective, single institution study of ventral hernia repairs involving bone anchor mesh fixation was performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: With the regionalization of surgical care, reduction in the rural workforce, rising healthcare costs, and increasing focus on surgical outcomes, appropriate transfer of surgical patients is an increasingly important aspect of health care. This study examines patients transferred for surgical intervention through a national sample.
Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2005 to 2012 for surgery patients who were transferred from an outside hospital or emergency department (ED) and compared patients undergoing surgery without transfer.
Introduction: Healthcare systems and surgeons are under increasing pressure to provide high-quality care for the lowest possible cost . This study utilizes national data to examine the outcomes and costs of common laparoscopic procedures based on hospital type and location.
Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was queried from 2008 to 2011 for five laparoscopic procedures: colectomy (LC), inguinal hernia repair, ventral hernia repair (LVHR), Nissen fundoplication (NF), and cholecystectomy (LCh).
Background: Laparoscopy revolutionized many General Surgery procedures by decreasing hospital stay, minimizing recovery time, and reducing wound infection rates. This study evaluates the potential benefits of laparoscopic approach to peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC) placement.
Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for laparoscopic and open PDC placement.
Introduction: To reduce costs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented new policies governing which patients are automatically admitted as inpatients (staying greater than "two midnights") and which require additional justification with physician documentation to be admitted. This study examines procedures missing from the Medicare Inpatient Only (MIO) list and uses national data to evaluate its appropriateness.
Methods: Non-MIO procedures were identified from the current MIO list.