The authors briefly report the case of a patient in whom a double Mersilene graft was used to repair a strangulated umbilical hernia. This report is interesting for various reasons. Firstly, the fact that surgery was performed under emergency conditions and secondly, the position of the graft, which was certainly not ideal--even if obligatory owing to the circumstances under which the operation was performed--in the abdominal wall. In spite of the successful results obtained, the authors feel that graft should preferably be used in elective surgery in which additional operations are not required which may further contaminate the operating field. In particular, special attention should be paid to graft position in relation to the various layers of the abdominal wall.