Elective ventral hernia repair provides significant abdominal wall quality of life improvements in older patients

An increasing proportion of ventral hernia patients are over age 65. These patients are frequently offered watchful waiting rather than surgical intervention due to their frail state or perioperative risk. However, many in this age group suffer from significant quality of life impacts that are not well understood. We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC), including adults undergoing elective ventral hernia repair from 2013 to 2019. Median differences in Hernia-Related Quality of Life Survey (HerQLes) summary scores at baseline, 30-days, 6-months, and 1 year post operatively were compared in four age categories (18–40, 40–64, 65–75, 76 +) using multivariable regression. Secondary outcomes included major post-operative complications and mortality. Of 6681 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 13.5% were 18–40, 55.8% were 41–64, 25.2% were 65–75, and 5% were 76 + . Patients in the 65–75 age group and those over 76 had higher mean baseline HerQLes scores (51.7 and 60.8) compared to those in the 18–40 and 41–64 groups (45 and 43.3, p