P020 ESTABLISHING PEER-CONSENSUS ABOUT THE USE OF LONG-TERM BIOSYNTHETIC ABSORBABLE MESH FOR VENTRAL HERNIA (GRADE 2-3) AS THE STANDARD OF CARE
Abstract Aim “This consensus project was initiated to provide insight into those situations where a long-term biosynthetic absorbable mesh (LTBA) might be considered the standard of care in repair of ventral hernia grades 2 and 3 (original Ventral Hernia Working Group Classification, 2010).” Material and Methods “A steering group of surgical experts developed 35 initial statements formed from six domains. These statements were used to develop an online survey which was sent to surgeons involved in hernia repair surgery within Europe. Agreement (consensus) with the statements was defined as high if ≥ 70% and very high if ≥ 90% of respondents agreed with a statement. After the initial survey round, some statements were revised and these were then reissued, 34 statements were included in the final analysis” Results “A total of 255 responses were received over the two rounds of survey. Respondents (n = 255) were all surgeons involved in hernia repair in Europe. Fourteen statements (41%) achieved very high consensus (≥ 90%), 24 statements achieved consensus (≥70% to < 90%) while one statement (3%) fell short of consensus with an agreement score of 69%.” Conclusions “Expert consensus opinion about the use of LTBA for hernia (Grades 2-3) as the standard of care was achieved. Based on the consensus scores, the steering group derived eleven key recommendations which, if implemented, should result in a clearer understanding of how and when a LTBA might be used in hernia repair, aiming for improvement in surgical and patient related outcomes”