Acute Vs. Elective Paraesophageal Hernia Repair: Endoscopic Gastric Decompression Allows Semi-Elective Surgery in a Majority of Acute Patients.

Background: Historically, patients presenting acutely with paraesophageal hernia and requiring urgent operation demonstrated inferior outcomes compared to patients undergoing elective repair.

Methods: A prospective IRB-approved database was used to retrospectively review 570 consecutive patients undergoing paraesophageal hernia repair between 2000 and 2016.

Results: Thirty-eight patients presented acutely (6.