TY - JOUR T1 - NAtional register study of operating time and outcome in hernia repair AU - van der Linden W, Warg A, Nordin P Y1 - 2011/10/01 N1 - 10.1001/archsurg.2011.268 JO - Archives of Surgery SP - 1198 EP - 1203 VL - 146 IS - 10 N2 - Objectives  To examine the relationship between operating time and reoperation for recurrence and other complications in groin hernia repairs.Design  Observational population-based register study.Setting  Data from the nationwide Swedish Hernia Register, which prospectively collects data from almost all groin hernia repairs performed in Sweden.Patients  There were 123 917 primary groin hernia repairs recorded in the Swedish Hernia Register from January 1, 1998, through December 31, 2007.Main Outcome Measures  Relative risk of reoperation for recurrence and odds ratios for postoperative complications in 4 operating time groups.Results  The relative risk of reoperation for recurrence of all patients operated on in less than 36 minutes was 26% higher than that of all patients with an operating time of more than 66 minutes (1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.43). Because the Lichtenstein procedure is the standard procedure in Sweden today, its results were also analyzed separately. In this homogeneous group, the difference was even more striking with an increased relative risk of 45% (1.45; 95% CI, 1.21-1.75). The odds ratio for infection and other postoperative complications increased with increasing operating time.Conclusion  A significant decrease in reoperation for recurrence with increasing operating time exhorts the hernia surgeon to avoid speed and to maintain thoroughness throughout the procedure. SN - 0004-0010 M3 - doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.268 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.2011.268 ER -