Ventral Hernia Management in Obese Patients.

Ventral and incisional hernias in obese patients are particularly challenging. Suboptimal outcomes are reported for elective repair in this population. Preoperative weight loss is ideal but is not achievable in all patients for a variety of reasons, including access to bariatric surgery, poor quality of life, and risk of incarceration. Surgeons must carefully weigh the risk of complications from ventral hernia repair with patient symptoms, the ability to achieve adequate weight loss, and the risks of emergency hernia repair in obese patients.