Umbilical hernia surgery: cost, duration and step by step

• An umbilical hernioplasty is intended to eliminate the symptoms caused by the defect, prevent possible complications and, of course, restore the patient's quality of life. 
• Although the symptoms caused by an umbilical hernia can be temporarily resolved by wearing a compression garment, the only definitive remedy is surgery.
• Conventional or open surgery lasts approximately 30 to 40 minutes, and is a simple operation with a high success rate. 

You probably already know what an umbilical hernia is and what you are looking for is more information to be able to make a decision or help someone close to you to make the right one and solve the effects of this problem. To better understand why an umbilical hernia operation is necessary, we will try to answer some of the questions you may have about the occurrence of this condition and its treatment.

Although you may already be aware of what has caused your umbilical hernia, it is important to know what other factors can cause it. We highlight the following:

• High-performance activities. When you do activities that require great physical effort, you overload your abdomen and as a consequence, a gap in the abdominal wall may appear, causing the intestine to protrude outwards.
• Lifting heavy objects. As in the previous case, overloading the area can weaken the abdominal wall and lead to the appearance of a hernia.
• Suffering from chronic cough or constipation. These pathologies cause you to strain your abdomen more than normal, leading to the appearance of a hernia.
• Other causal situations. Other factors that favour the appearance of an umbilical hernia are being overweight or, in the particular case of men, an enlarged prostate that seriously affects the effort you have to make to urinate.

Normally, any activity or health problem that results in increased pressure on the abdomen can be a factor in the development of an umbilical hernia. However, there is also the possibility that you suffer from a hernia from birth, but do not have any signs of it until adulthood.

You should be aware that the symptoms of this condition usually do not go beyond the appearance of the bulge in or above the navel. You may also experience pain or burning in the area when you strain your abdomen. Although at first you may choose to wear an abdominal binder to reduce these symptoms, the only definitive solution is surgical treatment.

As you know, the purpose of the umbilical hernia operation is to correct the defect, putting the intestine back in place and reinforcing the abdominal wall with the help of a mesh, although there may be other reasons to undergo the surgical intervention, which are:

• Eliminate symptoms. Through a surgical intervention, the most annoying symptoms such as pain and discomfort disappear.
• Prevent more complex conditions. In addition to making the problems caused by the hernia disappear, complications such as incarcerated hernia or strangulated hernia, which can lead to the need for more complicated treatment and emergency surgery, are prevented.
• Restore quality of life. When you have an umbilical hernia, your quality of life and state of health are affected, limited and probably reduced, so after surgery you regain these levels and daily normality.

Bear in mind that the decision of whether or not to undergo umbilical hernioplasty must be made along with a specialist in General and Digestive System Surgery, who, after reviewing your case and analysing your lifestyle, will be able to determine the best option for you.

One of the most common concerns of patients during the surgical consultation is the duration of the different stages of the process, from the time it takes for the surgery to the final recovery period. Below we give you more information on how long it can take for you to return to a normal daily routine.

Time in the operating room

On arrival at the hospital, you will be taken to the waiting room where you will be asked to wait until you are called to the operating theatre. Before entering, you will be taken to a room where you will put on your operating theatre clothes for the intervention, and a line will be placed in your arm for anaesthesia. You will then be taken to the operating theatre where the doctor, the anaesthetist and the nursing team will be waiting for you.

As for the duration of open surgery or conventional treatment of umbilical hernia, you will stay in the operating theatre between 30 and 40 minutes, although this time may vary if your hernia has some particularity such as, for example, a large size, which entails staying longer in the operating room.

Hospital stay

This is an outpatient intervention, so you can return home the same day as the intervention, but it is advisable that you stay in hospital for at least 1 day after surgery, to rest properly and to ensure that everything has gone well.

Recovery period

After discharge, it can normally take four weeks to fully recover. After this time, you will be able to return to your normal daily activities as before the problem.

Below you can find more information about the surgical process and its cost. 

After you attend the assessment consultation with one of our specialists in general surgery and decide to proceed with the intervention, our team will begin to manage the entire process. 

Normally, the time it will take you from the consultation to the day of surgery is approximately 7 to 10 days, this depends directly on the availability of the operating theatre and the need to perform a pre-operative to determine the feasibility of the surgery. 

The following tests will be performed during the preoperative period:

• Electrocardiogram: This test allows the surgeon and anaesthetist to know your cardiovascular health.
• Blood test: The purpose of this test is to determine that you do not have any abnormalities or pathologies, such as infections, which can delay surgery until it is under control.
• Chest x-ray: This is a test that is only performed if the doctor determines it necessary, to ensure that you do not have an infection and that your trachea is correctly aligned, in case you require intubation.

Once you have undergone the pre-operative and seen the anaesthetist, who certifies that the surgery is viable, all that remains is for you to undergo the operation. On the day of the intervention, our patient service team will take care of everything, you will only have to go to the hospital with the necessary documentation.

As aforementioned, after you have received the documentation, you will be dressed for the intervention, and the anaesthetist will insert the anaesthesia line for the surgery to begin. 

It is a simple operation with a very low probability of complications both during and after the process. 

The steps taken during the surgery are as follows.

During open surgery:

• After the anaesthesia takes effect, the surgeon makes an incision just above or below the navel until the hernia defect is reached.
• The specialist then reintroduces the hernia defect to its original position inside the abdomen.
• As soon as all the displaced tissue is inserted, the area of weakened abdominal wall muscle is sutured.
• After this step, a synthetic mesh is placed over the muscle in order to consolidate the abdominal wall and prevent it from reproducing.
• Finally, the specialist sutures the incision layer by layer and then covers the wound with a bandage.

At the end of the surgery, the patient will be awakened and taken to the recovery room where he or she will recover completely.

The main advantage of umbilical hernioplasty is that it completely eliminates the symptoms and prevents them from recurring.

If you would like more information about the postoperative period and the benefits of umbilical hernioplasty, you can find detailed information in the following links:

• Postoperative period after umbilical hernia surgery
• Benefits of umbilical hernia surgery

Through Operarme, we offer our patients a fixed price for Umbilical hernia surgery at 3.190 € all-inclusive, including all the necessary elements to be able to perform the surgery under safe conditions:

• Preoperative examination, including blood tests, electrocardiogram and, if necessary, a chest X-ray.
• Medical fees and those of the assistants until medical discharge.
• Fees for anaesthetist, anaesthesia and necessary medical gases.
• Stay in a single room with a spare bed, hotel and laundry services for the patient for 1 day.
• Products for the patient's hygiene and care, disposable and non-disposable, and food for the patient during the stay.
• Expenses related to the surgical act: Booking and use of the operating theatre, medical instruments, equipment, consumables and medications specific to the surgical act (not cytostatics or monoclonal antibodies or derivatives).
• Complementary tests during the hospital stay (analysis, electrocardiogram or chest x-ray).
• Post-surgical recovery room stay, monitoring and necessary treatments.
• Surgical mesh for hernia repair.
• Medical complications insurance, which covers possible eventualities such as the need for an extra day in hospital.

In addition, we offer you the possibility of a free ride to take you to the hospital on the day of admission, and also from the hospital to your home on the day of discharge (you can read the conditions of the free transfer service here), as well as the support and help of our patient service team, who will guide you and answer any queries you may have, as well as managing the whole process so that you only have to worry about your health.

If we have helped you learn more about umbilical hernia surgery, and you are interested in going ahead with the procedure, please feel free to request an assessment consultation with one of our specialists by clicking on the image below:

If you need more information about how Operarme works or about any of the specialists working with us, you can contact our Patient Service team or call at +34 91 141 33 56.

We hope we have cleared up your hesitations about the umbilical hernia surgery procedure and helped you make the best decision.