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Médecine et Santé Tropicales

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Treatment of inguinal hernia in a difficult environment: feasibility and efficacy of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric blocks Volume 23, issue 2, Avril-Mai-Juin 2013

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Authors
Service de réanimation, hôpital d’instruction des armées Ste-Anne, bd Ste-Anne, 83000 Toulon, France, DARU, hôpital d’instruction des armées Sainte-Anne, bd Ste-Anne, 83000 Toulon, France, Service de chirurgie viscérale, hôpital d’instruction des armées Laveran, Marseille, France

Hernia repair is a very frequent surgical procedure; it is estimated that one African in five undergoes this procedure during his lifetime. Patients and methods. We evaluated the feasibility of this surgery under ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve blocks in difficult environments. The medical-surgical group supporting Operation Unicorn has treated 48 inguinal hernias as medical aid to population, including 34 with these nerve blocks. Results. The block did not fail in any case. The mean time until discharge was 6.85 h, which meant that outpatient surgery was possible. Discussion and conclusion. This type of anesthesia is interesting in difficult environments. It is a safe, inexpensive, and easy to learn technique. These qualities should promote its use in countries with a low GNP.