Crossover study of the effect of coffee consumption on simulated laparoscopy skills

•Coffee has an effect on psychomotor skill and mental alertness in many fields in and out of medicine.•This study aims to isolate the psychomotor effects of coffee from the mental effects by using well rested individuals.•Coffee has a deleterious effect on psychomotor parameters when performing laparoscopic skills in the well-rested novice.•Coffee however has a slightly positive effect on accuracy when performing laparoscopic skills in the well-rested novice.

AimsTo observe the effect of caffeine on performing laparoscopic skills in novices in a simulated setting.BackgroundCoffee is consumed almost ubiquitously by surgeons not just as a stimulant but also socially in the well-rested individual. It's therefore worth investigating its potentially negative effect on performance of surgical skills as it is known that coffee has psychomotor effects.MethodsThis is a single-blind crossover study in which 31 novices were tested under three different conditions: decaffeinated, 100 mg caffeine and 200 mg caffeine. Candidates were asked to perform 3 repetitions of task 3, 6, 7 and 8 using the Lap Mentor™ (Simbionix®). Outcomes measured were completion time, accuracy, number of movements and total path length. The candidates were crossed over to the other caffeine doses on a different day.Results20 candidates completed the study, mean age 21.3 years, with 10 males and 10 females. Candidates performed tasks 7 and 8 faster in the decaffeinated group than the caffeinated groups with significant differences between decaffeinated and 100 mg caffeine (p-value = 0.001, 0.019 respectively) and decaffeinated and 200 mg in task 8(p-value = 0.042). Total path length was significantly less in the decaffeinated group in tasks 7 and 8 and total number of movements was less in tasks 3, 7 and 8.ConclusionCaffeine had no marked effect on accuracy, but had a negative effect on task economy (hand movements, total path length and completion time).