Prognostic value of the HALP (hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet) score in emergency versus elective inguinal hernia repair

The hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score is a novel prognostic biomarker that reflects a patient's immune-nutritional status. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of the HALP score in patients undergoing emergency versus elective inguinal hernia repair. This retrospective study analyzed data from 235 patients who underwent inguinal hernia surgery at a single center. The patients were categorized into emergency (n = 97) and elective (n = 138) groups, with the emergency group further divided into intestinal resection (n = 12) and non-resection (n = 85) subgroups. Preoperative HALP scores were significantly lower in the emergency group than in the elective group (P < .001). Subgroup analysis revealed that HALP scores were significantly lower among patients who required intestinal resection compared with those who did not require resection in the emergency group and those who underwent elective surgery (P = .004 and P < .001, respectively). Univariate analysis showed that the HALP score was associated with small bowel resection. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that a HALP score cutoff value of < 2.31 yielded 75% sensitivity and 90.2% specificity for predicting intestinal resection in incarcerated inguinal hernia. The accessibility and cost-effectiveness of the HALP score support its use as an adjunctive tool for risk stratification in inguinal hernia management, particularly in resource-limited settings.