Generally, a hernia is not a life-threatening condition. As it grows in size and over time it can pose more serious risks of benign symptoms like aches to more severe pain, to more serious consequences of incarceration (trapping) and strangulation (the blood cannot drain out of the herniated tissues).
Standard of care requires same day surgery, where you go home the very same day.
Our team at ANSA Health provides safe, durable, effective hernia surgeries. We utilize the Shouldice method, which was developed during World War II to keep recruits healthy. So it has stood the test of time. Read on to learn more about the procedure
The Basics
The Shouldice hernia repair surgery differs from other mainstream methods because it is a slower, more detailed process. In the hands of our experienced surgeons, this delicate hernia surgery is one of the safest and most effective methods for repairing the damage caused by a hernia. In fact it is the gold standard by which other methods are compared.
The surgery is usually performed under only a local anaesthetic, with sedation which helps to keeps complications and recovery time down. We don’t need any fancy plastic inserts into your body to fix this hernia.
We strive for minimal tension or pulling during this procedure, allowing patients to remain comfortable throughout the procedure.
The Procedure
The surgery incision is generally three to four inches in length, which allows us to see all the layers, nerves, and vessels that need to be repaired. This allows us to individually close each layer of muscle, fascia, and skin so that each layer is repaired and can heal properly.
We are also able to replace and repair individual vessels and ligaments, essentially putting everything back where it belongs in one procedure.
The skin is closed with rapid-dissolving sutures, rather than staples or clips.
The Benefits
Because the incision for the Shouldice repair method is slightly longer than other hernia repair methods, surgeons have a better view of the procedure. This allows them to investigate the nearby areas and prevent any future hernias.
The artificial mesh used in many hernia surgeries tends to shrink over time and, because of its placement, is subject to a lot of pulling and stretching. Rather than relying on artificial mesh, we allow the body to heal itself by overlapping your own muscle and tissue, which reduces pulling. Even small areas of infection are of great concern if there is dead plastic nearby, not so with the natural tissue methods we use. Your tissues are vital, they are alive, they fight infection. Infection with mesh means you have to pull it out.
Mesh-based surgery methods
Laparoscopy Surgery
Laparoscopy is an advanced technology surgery that allows the surgeon to make the operation easier for the surgeon by placing plastic into your tissue covering up the defect being held in place with staples or screws, instead of fixing it with good surgical technique, that is gentle and meticulous. Staples and screws cannot see if they are about to go through a nerve or blood vessel!
When to see a doctor?
If your pain or discomfort doesn’t go away in an hour or two or if the symptoms come back. Generally if you have a recurrent bulge and would like to get it repaired.
At ANSA healthcare, our trained healthcare professionals offer attentive care and timely help to all patients. Our hernia surgeon Dr. Maharaj, and the rest of the team, holds a 360 degree knowledge about hernia, hernia surgery, the complications and also the post-operative care required. In performing the surgery, our surgeon team uses this low recurrence method to keep the patient safe from surgical complications.
We prefer to be safer at every opportunity. For example, we use electrosurgical cautery (a device to seal blood vessels). This minimizes bleeding resulting in less trauma to the surrounding tissues. Our surgeons uses this routinely. This also limits the risk for infection by preventing blood clots (within which bacteria can multiply) in deeper tissues.
Contact us to book a consultation.