Abstract
Traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWH) occur in less than one percent of trauma presentations. In the absence of clinical guidelines, management is centre-specific and largely dependent on surgeon experience. This study describes the management of TAWH in a high volume Australian trauma centre. A single centre retrospective cohort study was performed. Adults with TAWH as a result of blunt trauma, between January 2016 and July 2020, were included. Primary outcomes were the mechanism of injury, presentation, timing of repair, and operative technique used. A total of 16 patients (63% male; median age 36 years; median Injury Severity Score [ISS] 19.5) were identified. In total, 75% were the result of a motor vehicle accident. A total of 13 patients (81%) underwent repair. Eight patients received repair during emergency exploration undertaken for concurrent injuries. Three patients had a delayed repair during index admission, and two patients had an elective repair. Primary tissue repair was performed in seven patients. Mesh repair was used in six. Patients were followed for a median of 55.5 days. One patient had a recurrence of hernia following primary repair. This local series demonstrates that traumatic abdominal wall hernias may be successfully repaired during index admission using tissue or mesh techniques.