• About Us
• The Shouldice Experience
• Shouldice Hospital
• The Shouldice Repair

Shouldice Hospital runs like a very well-oiled machine. All of your medical staff are so polite, knowledgeable and respectful towards the patients and one another. My stay here was so very comfortable and I have every confidence that I was given the best possible care. Thank you so very much for taking such an interest in my recovery.

Ruth – Etobicoke

About Us

Founded in 1945, Shouldice Hospital is The global leader in hernia repair. Our 99.5% lifetime success rate for primary inguinal hernias sets the gold standard for medical professionals around the world.

Shouldice specializes in external abdominal wall hernias.

Successfully repairing over 7000 hernias every year results in a level of experience and expertise unequalled throughout the world.

Over 65 years of clinical evidence clearly demonstrates that the Shouldice surgical procedure is exceptionally safe and the repair is secure and reliable. Our rate of infection, complications and recurrence is less than 0.5% for primary inguinal hernia repairs. This is the lowest recorded rate in the world. If you think you have a hernia, we offer a walk-in clinic for your convenience. We always recommend that you come to the clinic for an examination, if at all possible. Our surgeons have years of specialized training and experience and are available during clinic hours to provide an expert diagnosis. Our walk-in clinic is available at no direct cost to our patients. If you live more than 1 hour (100 km/60 miles) away from Shouldice, you can submit a medical questionnaire for our surgeons to review.

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The Shouldice Experience

Nearly 80% of our patients come to Shouldice because of the positive comments and high level of satisfaction expressed by friends and family treated at our facility.

Hernia patients have travelled from 115 countries around the world to our unique and innovative facility. They know they can trust us to deliver the highest levels of medical and patient care.

Shouldice is located on 20 beautifully landscaped acres, just minutes away from downtown Toronto. The relaxing, resort-like setting helps patients enjoy a healthy recovery.

We offer a complete and holistic recovery program that promotes healing and a rapid return to normal activities.

If a Shouldice surgeon has recommended that you lose weight before your operation, we offer professional diet counselling provided by a registered dietitian. We also have a licensed massage therapist on staff for your comfort and convenience.

Many patients go back to work as soon as they are discharged from Shouldice. Most people return to normal activities within a week after their operation.

As part of our on-going commitment to our patients, we offer a lifetime of support through our annual follow-up program. You have the option of:

• visiting our walk-in clinic every year to have your repair checked by a surgeon,
• responding to our annual follow-up letter or
• visiting one of the travelling clinics we offer for Ontario patients living outside of the Toronto area.

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Shouldice Hospital

The facility is licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and complies with all requirements of the Local Health Integrated Network, Ontario, Canada.

Shouldice Hospital is equipped with 5 operating rooms and 89 hospital beds.

The 10 full-time surgeons at Shouldice specialize exclusively in treating hernias and are leaders in their field.

All our staff surgeons are licensed by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons and some are also U.S. board certified.

We employ over 160 people at Shouldice. Our staff members enjoy working at Shouldice and it shows! The average length of employment in our hospital is 10 years.

The hospital was founded by Dr. Edward Earle Shouldice in 1945 and is still privately owned and operated. The founder’s descendants, Dr. Byrnes Shouldice and Mrs. W.H. Urquhart and their respective families, continue to take an active role in managing the hospital. Under their guidance, Shouldice has become an internationally respected centre of excellence for hernia repair.

Since 1983, Shouldice Hospital has been featured as an example of focused excellence in the Harvard Business School MBA program.

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The Shouldice Repair

The types of hernias repaired at Shouldice include: indirect and direct inguinal, femoral, epigastric, incisional, Spigelian and umbilical.

Almost all 95% of the operations at Shouldice are conducted using only a local anaesthetic, a light (sedative) and a pain pill (analgesic). Additional medication is provided when necessary. This reduces the risk of complications, shortens recovery time and helps make the experience more comfortable.

The chance of a hernia recurring after a repair at Shouldice is less than 0.5% for primary inguinal hernias, based on data collected from over 300,000 operations.

 

During the Shouldice repair, our surgeons overlap each layer of the abdominal wall, using a technique that puts no tension on the natural tissue. By overlapping these layers of muscle and tissue, we are able to strengthen and reinforce the weak spot where the hernia developed. This gives you a secure, reliable result that minimizes the risk of complications or recurrences.