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BackgroundPatient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as quality of life (QoL), patient satisfaction, and work impairment, are arguably the most important outcomes of any medical treatment. In 2011, Staerkle and Villiger developed the Core Outcome Measurements Index (COMI) to standardise PROs and PRO measurement for inguinal hernia patients, in an attempt to increase inter-study comparability. The aim of this study is to prospectively evaluate the short- and long-term postoperative QoL, function, patient well-being, pain, and social/work disability, after total extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair and to provide the first clinical experience with the COMI-hernia questionnaire.MethodsBetween January 2013 and December 2014, all patients ≥18 years that were scheduled for elective uni- or bilateral TEP in a regional hospital were approached to participate in this study. Measurements were taken preoperatively, and 6 weeks and 1 year postoperatively.ResultsOne hundred and twenty patients (113 men, 7 women), mean age 59 years (SD ±12), completed the follow-up of 1 year. Ninety-seven percent of the population reported that the operation improved their complaints. QoL, function, well-being, and pain all improved after 6 weeks and 1 year after surgery. Patients experienced more social and work-related limitations 6 weeks after surgery compared to baseline measurements, though this improved to normal 1 year postoperatively. The incidence of chronic pain was 14% (VAS ≥ 2), which had a negative impact on the patients' sense of well-being.ConclusionPatients recovered well after TEP repair with a good quality of life and fast restore of function. Patient well-being was lower than expected due to a 14% incidence of chronic pain. The COMI-hernia scale provided reasonable insight into the patients' experience, though it was difficult to interpret for both patient and physician.

Purpose For the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, the combination of clinical and laboratory variables achieves high diagnostic accuracy. Nevertheless, appendicitis can present with normal laboratory tests of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of normal inflammatory markers in patients operated for acute appendicitis. Methods This is an analysis of data from a prospective, multicentre SNAPSHOT cohort study of patients with suspected acute appendicitis. Only patients with histopathologically proven acute appendicitis were included. Adult patients with acute appendicitis and normal preoperative inflammatory markers were explored further in terms of abdominal complaints, preoperative imaging results and intraoperative assessment of the degree of inflammation and compared to those with elevated inflammatory markers. Results Between June and July 2014, 1303 adult patients with histopathologically proven acute appendicitis were included. In only 23 of 1303 patients (1.8%) with proven appendicitis, both preoperative white blood cell count and C-reactive protein levels were normal. Migration of pain was reported less frequently in patients with normal inflammatory markers compared to those with elevated inflammatory marker levels (17.4% versus 43.0%, p = 0.01). Characteristics like fever, duration of symptoms and localized peritonitis were comparable. Only 4 patients with normal inflammatory markers (0.3% overall) had complicated appendicitis at histopathological evaluation. Conclusion Combined normal WBC and CRP levels are seen in about 2 per 100 patients with confirmed acute appendicitis and can, although rarely, be found in patients with complicated appendicitis.