Social vulnerability tracks ventral hernia wound problems

After ventral hernia repair, patients from more socially vulnerable communities had more wound complications, though differences between vulnerability groups were small.

• The analysis included 35,626 clean repairs of hernias no wider than 18 cm.
• Social vulnerability tracked both wound complications and complications needing a procedure; overall environmental vulnerability tracked only the latter.
• Just 1.8% of patients needed a procedure for a wound complication.

This was a look back at patient records, and differences between the highest- and lowest-vulnerability groups were not statistically significant. The index may add context, but should not guide decisions on its own.