Early vs Late Inguinal Hernia Repair in Preterm Infants

To the Editor We read with great interest the recent article by Dr Blakely and colleagues reporting the results of their randomized clinical trial on the timing of inguinal hernia repair in preterm infants. Delaying hernia repair until after hospital discharge and when the infants were older than 55 weeks’ postmenstrual age resulted in fewer serious adverse events compared with performing an early hernia repair before discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. As a result, the authors advocate for delaying inguinal hernia repair until after initial discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit.