Carotid endarterectomy in a general surgical training program.
Concern regarding the quality of surgical treatment performed within resident training programs and the need for direct, active involvement of the attending surgeon have been issues of interest to surgeons and the public. To provide specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease, vascular surgical fellowships have been established. In institutions with established vascular fellowships, one may question whether general surgical residents or vascular surgical fellows should perform carotid endarterectomies. The majority of carotid reconstructive procedures are performed at our institution by the chief general surgical resident under direct supervision. We elected to review our experience with surgical treatment of the carotid artery in an effort to examine the safety of this practice. The record of all patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy or reconstruction from April 1980 to July 1984 were reviewed. One hundred and twenty-nine patients who underwent 153 reconstructions of the carotid artery constituted the study group. The indication for operation was symptomatic carotid atheromatous disease in 96 and asymptomatic disease in 57. Ninety-three per cent of the procedures were performed by the chief general surgical resident under the supervision of one attending surgeon. Although the incidence of associated systemic problems (hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease) was significant in the study group, postoperative cardiovascular and cranial nerve and central neurologic deficits were 1.3 per cent, respectively, with no operative mortality. At our institution, the performance of carotid endarterectomy under close supervision provides an excellent context in which the resident in training may learn precise and careful dissection of the tissue and arterial repair. The need for formal vascular surgical fellowships to develop proficiency in judgment, technique and management of vascular disease is not questioned. However, as a learning experience for the general surgical resident, we believe this practice is both safe and effective, and a high standard of patient care is not compromised.
Bloom
R J
RJ
Division of General Surgery, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto, California 94304.
Stevick
C A
CA
Hernandez
R
R
D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D020209:Cranial Nerve Injuries; D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000193:education*; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged