Use of an Assistant Surgeon Does not Mitigate the Effect of Lead Surgeon Volume on Outcomes Following Open Repair of Intact Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Employing an assistant surgeon does not improve outcomes amongst any quintile of volume of the lead surgeon. As surgeons perform fewer open AAA repairs in the modern era, these data imply that even the help of a high volume assistant surgeon may not mitigate the detrimental effect of a lower volume surgeon.