Fight or Flight: The Role of Staged Approaches to Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Surgeons' comfort with abdominal wall reconstruction techniques and use of prosthetic reinforcement in contaminated fields has made repair of complex hernias during concomitant procedures an attractive endeavor. Understanding the precarious nature of this practice, tenets of thoughtful patient selection, and principles of repair that mitigate morbidity can allow for an educated thought process when deciding whether or not to pursue concomitant abdominal wall reconstruction.