Abstract
Background Nicotine products are believed to be associated with a higher incidence of incisional hernia (IH) recurrence and postoperative complications after IH repair. Methods A retrospective analysis of the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) database was performed. Outcomes included risk of IH recurrence, 30-day surgical site infection (SSI), and 30-day surgical site occurrence (SSO). Results We included 14,663 patients. Nicotine users who quit within 1 year of surgery had a 26% higher risk of IH recurrence compared to patients who quit more than a year before surgery or never users. Patients who quit using nicotine within 1 year of surgery had a 54% higher odds of SSI compared to former nicotine users who quit more than a year before surgery. Conclusion Former nicotine users with less than 1 year of nicotine use cessation before surgery exhibited worse outcomes than those with more than a year of cessation or no prior use.