Mesh Type in Ventral Hernia Repair

Ventral hernias are common following abdominal surgery. Currently, there is no equipoise on when synthetic and biologic meshes should be used. Among open ventral hernia repairs, half are repaired using biologic mesh while half are repaired using synthetic mesh. The investigators hypothesize that biologic mesh as opposed to synthetic mesh repair of open ventral hernia repair is associated with decreased risk of major complications one year after surgery.