Short-term outcomes in open vs. laparoscopic herniorrhaphy: confounding impact of worker's compensation on convalescence

Over a 28-month period, 123 patients with a unilateral inguinal hernia were recruited into a randomized controlled trial comparing open herniorrhaphy (OH) to laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy (LH). The primary end point was duration of convalescence. Sixty-five patients underwent OH and 58 underwent LH. Both groups were well matched for all baseline parameters, although LH patients anticipated a shorter convalescence than OH patients (14.3 ±9.4 days vs. 18.5 ±10.8 days; P = 0.021). The median duration of hospital stay was one day in both groups. No difference was observed in the duration of convalescence (LH 9.8 ±7.4 days; OH 11.6 ±7.7 days) across groups. However, when the data were analyzed after removing patients receiving disability (‘worker’) compensation (21 patients), patients undergoing LH recovered on average 3 days faster (LH 7.8 ±5.6 days; OH 10.9 ±7.5 days; P = 0.02). Patients not receiving worker’s compensation appear to have a shorter convalescence after LH compared to OH. Disability compensation is a major confounding variable in determining convalescence and needs to be controlled for in any future trial design.