Observation of Minimally Symptomatic Inguinal Hernias: Is it More Costly to Wait than to Operate?

Variable/outcomes Antibiotics arm Surgery arm Total costs $16,185.12 $10,560.89 QALYs (cost/QALY) 27.91 ($579.81) 27.85 ($379.24) Hospital length of stay 3 days (range 2-9) 3 days (range 1-8) Time off work 8 days (range 5-10) 11 days (range 10-20) Early failure 6% (range 0-12%) N/A Recurrent appendicitis (1-year) 32% (range 6-35%) N/A Intra-abdominal abscess 0.68% 1.8% Small bowel obstruction 1.9% 5% Death 0.06% 0.17% S96 Surgical Forum Abstracts J Am Coll Surg