Complex Hernia Repair Available at The Jewish Hospital

Mercy Health – Cincinnati, which provides advanced, compassionate, quality care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that Mercy Health Physicians Yasir Khan, DO, who specializes in bariatric, general and minimally invasive surgery, and Neil Kundu, MD, who specializes in aesthetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery, are working together at The Jewish Hospital to repair the most complex hernias successfully.

A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through an opening in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall. Symptoms include swelling and pain in the affected area. Factors that can contribute to a hernia include obesity, smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, prior hernia surgeries and heavy lifting. Some are congenital (present from birth).

Mercy Health surgeons repair many types of common hernias, including inguinal, umbilical and hiatal hernias, at Anderson, Clermont, Fairfield and West hospitals and at The Jewish Hospital. At The Jewish Hospital’s Complex Hernia Center, Drs. Khan and Kundu specialize in treating hernias that are difficult to repair, including recurrent hernias and hernias complicated by obesity.

Recurrent hernias are the result of an unsuccessful hernia repair or complications from a previous hernia repair. These hernias are characterized by the return of the bulge at or near the site of the previous hernia. While common, these hernias are difficult to treat and repair.

Some people develop hernias complicated by obesity and these hernias can be challenging to repair. Drs. Khan and Kundu take a staged approach to treat these hernias and provide patients with the best long term outcomes. First, patients undergo healthy weight loss, working with Mercy Health’s surgical and non-surgical Weight Management Solutions’ team. If they are smokers, they must quit to promote optimal healing. After the necessary weight loss, Drs. Khan and Kundu perform the hernia repair, sometimes with simultaneous removal of the extra skin and tissue that develops after weight loss or with later reconstructive body contouring surgery to remove the heavy tissue folds for ideal, lasting results.

“For the most complex hernias, we take a comprehensive approach, combining the disciplines of bariatric, robotic and plastic surgery. We pair that with a multidisciplinary team of dedicated nurses, dieticians, and wound care specialists, tailoring treatment to ensure that a patient’s hernia is repaired successfully and safely,” says Dr. Khan.

The two surgeons have advanced training and extensive experience in complex hernia repair and advanced abdominal wall reconstruction. They work together as a team on the complex repairs, which decreases the amount of time patients remain under anesthesia.

“Most of our patients come to us after other repairs have failed or they’ve developed a hernia following a previous surgery,” says Dr. Kundu. “Typical hernias measure three to four centimeters in length. Thanks to newer techniques, we’re able to reconstruct and reinforce the abdominal wall to repair complex hernias that measure as long as 17 or more centimeters and prevent them from reoccurring.”

Most patients are well healed within six to eight weeks.

Dr. Khan practices from Mercy Health – Weight Management Solutions, Kenwood and Dr. Kundu practices from Mercy Health - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Their offices are co-located at 4750 East Galbraith Road, Suite 207, Cincinnati, OH 45236. For more information or to make an appointment, please call: 513 – 924-8914.