Boston Hernia Publishes Multiple Articles in Leading Medical Journal
Small local practice leading the way for internationally improved quality in hernia surgical care
Boston, MA February 17, 2023 – Boston Hernia, a small independent local practice, featured its work in two primary authored articles and citations in several others in the subject’s most prominent Hernia Journal, published yesterday in its most recent edition. In comparison, the Cleveland Clinic, academic publishing powerhouse and home to hundreds of surgeons, also had two publications.
Boston Hernia is a small private surgical practice that has thrived independently despite the growing trend for independent practices to be overtaken by large hospital systems. They have maintained partnership with local academic centers and local ambulatory surgical centers and have championed the call for higher expectations in quality of hernia care on a national stage. Through continued academic research and involvement in the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) and the Opioid Task Force, they have published two primary authored articles on hernia care and have been involved in several others directly impacted by their work and collaborations.
Boston Hernia serves a large volume of patients in New England and beyond, delivering tailored care for each individual patient. Among other approaches, the surgeons at Boston Hernia are two out of nine total US surgeons who specialize in the Open Preperitoneal (OPP) approach (involves a small incision with placement of mesh behind the abdominal wall). Peer reviewed studies have shown this approach provides the highest quality of repair and is safer surgery. Outcomes include faster recovery, reduced rate of recurrence, minimal postoperative pain, minimal to no opioid use, and faster return to work and activity. Additionally, this approach has nearly completely eliminated the debilitating complication of chronic pain after inguinal hernia surgery, a problem affecting nearly 50,000 Americans a year who undergo more traditional approaches to repair.
Publications of interest:
- Boston Hernia studied outcomes after laparoscopic and robotic hernia repair versus the open preperitoneal approach to find that after OPP repair, patients had improved quality of life and reduced surgical site occurrences while maintaining the lowest recurrence rate when compared to other approaches.
Reinhorn, M., Fullington, N., Agarwal, D. et al. Posterior mesh inguinal hernia repairs: a propensity score matched analysis of laparoscopic and robotic versus open approaches. Hernia 27, 93-104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02680-0
- Boston Hernia was invited to comment on work involving the relationship between mental illness and chronic postoperative inguinal pain – calling for a holistic approach to care, attention to the role surgeons play in causing this problem, and the impact it has on their patients.
Reinhorn, M., Ott, L. & Fullington, N. Comment to “Psychological disorders in patients with chronic postoperative inguinal pain”. Hernia 27, 195–196 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02698-4
Miller, B.T., Scheman, J., Petro, C.C. et al. Psychological disorders in patients with chronic postoperative inguinal pain. Hernia 27, 35–40 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02662-2
- Boston Hernia has led the Opioid Task Force of the ACHQC. This edition of the Hernia Journal features several articles citing Boston Hernia’s work on the impact of opioid prescribing.
Gentle, C.K., Thomas, J.D., Montelione, K.C. et al. Opioid prescribing practices and patient-requested refill patterns following laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Hernia 27, 85–92 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02708-5
**Patients use fewer opioid tablets than prescribed after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair and higher number prescribed is associated with more requests for refills.
Whewell, H., Elnaghi, M. & Stephenson, B.M. Pre-emptive analgesia at inguinal hernioplasty: a simple step towards lowering opioid use. Hernia 27, 197 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02685-9
**This commentary echoes Boston Hernia’s work published in Hernia 26 ed to limit postoperative pain and opioid use after inguinal hernia repair by promoting the additional use of local anesthesia during surgery with general anesthesia.
(Perez, A.J., Petro, C.C., Higgins, R.M. et al. Predictors of low and high opioid tablet consumption after inguinal hernia repair: an ACHQC opioid reduction task force analysis. Hernia 26, 1625–1633 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02661-3)
- Boston Hernia has become a leader in championing no-mesh hernia repair approaches for selected patients – the Shouldice method. This method has been taught by our surgeons to leaders in Cleveland Clinic who have now adopted it as one of their go-to approaches.
NOT SURE HOW BEST TO INCLUDE THIS – the article may seem too loosely related … we are not cited…
Mainprize, M., Spencer Netto, F.A.C., Degani, C. et al. The Shouldice Method: an expert’s consensus. Hernia 27, 147–156 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-022-02658-y
For more information about Boston Hernia or to make an appointment, call 617-466-3373.
Founded in 2001 by Dr. Michael Reinhorn, Boston Hernia is a specialty clinic focused exclusively on the diagnosis, treatment, repair, and recovery of hernias. Over more than 18 years working with hernia sufferers, Dr. Reinhorn recognized that traditional surgical solutions too often result in long recovery times as well as post-operative and even long-term debilitating pain. He developed Boston Hernia and recruited and trained his partner, Dr. Nora Fullington and their dedicated team to focus on the state-of-the-art techniques that have successfully helped thousands reduce pain and drive the rate of recurrence to under 1%. Boston Hernia pioneers minimally invasive hernia repair surgery that allows a faster recovery and less reliance on opioids. They have performed more than 5,000 abdominal wall hernia repairs in 21 years of practice and perform over 900 hernia operations a year. Among their other accomplishments is professorship at Tufts University, serving as a consultant for the American Board of Surgery and the Chairperson for the Opioid Reduction Task Force for the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative, several-time awardees of the vitals.com patient choice award, awardees of TUSM Education award, invited speakers at multiple national conferences, leadership roles in humanitarian surgical missions, research and publications on hernia care, education, and opioid reduction.