Proctologic surgery done by residents – Complications preprogrammed?

SummaryIntroductionIn current literature, the participation of residents in surgical procedures is discussed as a negative outcome factor, particularly due to an increase of postoperative complications. This study investigated whether minor proctologic surgery with resident participation has a higher rate of postoperative complications.Patients and methodsAll patients who underwent an elective Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy or a resection of pilonidal sinus with rotational flap closure between January 2007 and December 2013 where included in a retrospective database. Primary outcome measure was postoperative complications rate with and without resident participation.ResultsForty-two (6 females: 36 males) patients underwent resection of pilonidal sinus and 61 (17 females: 44 males) patients received a hemorrhoidectomy. Twenty-two patients with pilonidal sinus and 26 patients with hemorrhoids were operated by residents. There were no differences in patient demographics. Residents need significantly more time to perform a pilonidal sinus resection (54 min vs. 34.5 min; P = 0.004). For hemorrhoidectomy, there were no significant differences in operative time (24 min vs. 23.5 min; P = 0.656). There were no significant differences in the resident and the consultant group, neither in hemorrhoidectomy nor in pilonidal sinus resection regarding readmission or outpatient visits. In the group of patients with pilonidal sinus resections, 3 patients developed a recurrence, leading to a recurrence rate of 7.1% without significant differences between the two groups (0 vs. 3; P = 0.09).ConclusionThe participation of residents in proctologic procedures is not associated with higher postoperative complication rates. Residents should be exposed to proctology procedures on a regular basis, even though the operative time will be prolonged.