THE RESULTS OF TREATMENT OF INCARCERATED HERNIAS

Experience in surgical treatment of 632 patients for incarcerated hern ias of different localization is analysed. The patients' ages ranged f rom 39 to 91., 448 (70.9%) patients were over 60 years of age. Inguina l and umbilical hernias were encountered most frequently 62.5%. The in testine was resected in 93 patients 80 of them were over 60 years of a ge (86%) Among these patients 63 were admitted to the clinic 1 to 4 da ys after the incarceration had occurred. The causes of late hospitaliz ation: through the patient's fault in 80 (24.8%) cases, due to the doc tor's errors in the prehospital stage in 39 (12.1%) cases. Kerte's met hod for determining the viability of the incarcerated intestine is sub jective to a certain measured - the surgeons made errors in 14% of cas es (confirmed histologically). The mortality was 13.4%, in 85% death o ccurred at an age over 70 and in 74% of cases the patients were admitt ed 24 hours to 4 days after the incarceration. Incompetence of the sut ures of the anastomosis (41%) was the main cause of death. Late hospit alization, elderly and old age, severe concomitant complications, and unwarrantably extended volume of the interventions were the main cause s of unfavorable outcomes of the management of this category of patien ts.