An Observational Cohort Study on Non-Recurrence Procedural Intervention and Reoperation for Recurrence After Ventral Hernia Repair

OBJECTIVE: To establish the use of Non-Recurrence Procedural Intervention (NRPI) and Reoperation for Recurrence (ROR) as long-term outcome measures after ventral hernia repair (VHR). NRPI is a novel, claims-based measure sensitive to procedures performed to manage complications after VHR. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Obtaining long-term follow-up after VHR is difficult. Clinical registry linkages with administrative claims data offer a novel solution to assess long-term complications and recurrence. This study provides validation of coding algorithms for these outcomes to ensure reproducibility and scalability. METHODS: This was an observational cohort study of patients undergoing VHR from 2011-2019 at a single tertiary care center. Claims-based coding algorithms for NRPI and ROR were compared to abstracted electronic health record (EHR) information. The main outcome was cumulative incidence of long-term NRPI and ROR. P