To investigate the etiology and clinical treatment of postoperative inguinal hernia infection.

Clinical data of 13 patients with postoperative inguinal hernia infection admitted to the Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2018 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patient's infection situation, the surgical method used for inguinal hernia surgery, the type of patch, the onset time, the treatment method for infection, hospital stay, and wound healing status were analyzed.

Among the 13 patients with inguinal hernia, there were 10 cases of superficial infection after the operation and 3 cases of deep infection. The surgical methods of inguinal hernia in 10 patients with superficial infection were Lichtenstein in 7 cases and mesh plug technique in 3 cases. The meshes used all polypropylene mesh. The onset time was (7.10±1.10) days. There were 3 cases of deep infection, 2 cases of Lichtenstein operation and 1 case of TEP. The meshes used polypropylene mesh (2 cases) and biological mesh(1 case). The onset time was (42.33±34.99) d. After debridement, closed drainage and secondary suture after dressing change, the wounds of 10 patients with superficial infection were all healed without mesh removal. Three patients with deep infections were healed after the active operation to remove mesh. The 13 patients were followed up for 4-6 months, and no recurrence was observed.

Most postoperative inguinal hernia infections are superficial infections that should be treated early, especially with the use of closed negative pressure devices, which can accelerate wound healing and reduce hospital stay. The deep infection with mesh infection is relatively complicated, and the correct treatment, such as intraoperative laparoscopic exploration and timely mesh removal can obtain satisfactory clinical efficacy.