Femoral hernia: mortality and morbidity following elective and emergency surgery.

A retrospective study of 95 patients undergoing elective or emergency surgical repair of femoral herniae over the period 1980-1990 was performed. The patients undergoing emergency surgical repair had an increased incidence of pre-existing serious 'medical' diseases and were significantly older (P less than 0.001) when compared with those patients undergoing elective repair. The duration of hospital stay was significantly less in the elective group (P less than 0.001). Although there were no deaths or bowel resections in the elective group, emergency surgery was associated with a mortality rate, albeit low, of 5% (2 of 44 patients), and bowel was resected in 9% of cases (4 of 44 patients). The delay in diagnosis, before emergency surgery was carried out, was short with a mean time of only 1.4 days. Longer delays were associated with an increased morbidity and mortality.