Comment to: Cutting through the fat: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes, cost, and quality of life with the addition of panniculectomy to ventral hernia repair in overweight patients

Excerpt

The authors should be commended for tackling this controversial topic. This study is helpful considering the large heterogeneity in published outcomes of simultaneous ventral hernia repair and panniculectomy (SVHRP) and the obvious absence of any publications focusing on the associated costs and patient reported outcomes (PROs) for this combination of procedures [1]. In this single-surgeon study, the authors performed a retrospective review for all patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m² who received either a ventral hernia repair (VHR) or ventral hernia repair with panniculectomy (VHR-PAN) [2]. The authors state that there is contradictory evidence in the literature, with certain studies identifying an increased wound complication rate in VHR-PAN patients, and other studies demonstrating the exact opposite—a reduction in wound complications with this procedural combination. Importantly, no study seeks to fully elucidate this complex issue by holistically capturing all clinical complications, costs, and quality of life measures (QoL). Through this study, the authors aim to describe the outcomes, costs, and QoL of overweight patients undergoing VHR with or without PAN. …