[Organization of a day surgery unit for hernia].

The authors report their experience with the organisational aspects of minimal hospitalisation of patients undergoing surgical treatment for hernias of the abdominal wall. 1544 hernia repairs were carried out from January 1994 to March 2002; over 80% of these were performed on a day surgery basis. The organisation of a day surgery unit requires dedicated medical and nursing staff and also diagnostic imaging facilities that should be immediately available, though all this is not strictly necessary in a general surgery department. In conclusion, in addition to the organisational problems, inadequacy of the D.R.G. system in Italy is the primary obstacle to diffusion of the practice of ambulatory hernia repair.