Functional Implications of Long-Term Pain Following Outpatient Inguinal Herniorrhaphy—A Prospective Evaluation

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study is to assess pain and functional outcomes at 1 y following inguinal herniorrhaphy in which patients were randomized to receive a continuous wound infusion of bupivacaine to receiving a saline infusion.MethodsPatients received saline or bupivacaine prior to incision and then for 60h postoperatively. The incidence, severity, and functional interference of pain were assessed for five postoperative days, and at 1 y.ResultsSeventy patients completed a survey 1 y following herniorrhaphy. Four percent (3/72) of patients were in moderate to severe pain “almost always” or “often”. Twenty-one percent (15/72) of patients experienced pain with ambulation. There was no difference between groups at 1 y.ConclusionsThe incidence of moderate or severe pain is concerning 1 y following surgery. Functional aberrations associated with pain should be assessed in all studies evaluating long-term pain after herniorrhaphy.