Increasing endovascular intervention for claudication: impact on vascular surgery resident training.
OBJECTIVE
To audit the caseloads of vascular surgery residents in the management of disabling claudication and assess the influence of endovascular procedures on overall operative experience.


METHODS
A retrospective review was conducted of vascular surgery resident experience in the open and endovascular management of lower limb claudication during two 3-year periods (January 2000 to December 2002 and January 2003 to December 2005). The time periods differed with regard to number of surgical faculty with advanced endovascular skills (3 in the first period and 4 in the second) and the availability of portable operating room angiography equipment.


RESULTS
During the 6-year period, the operative logs of vascular surgery residents indicated participation in 283 procedures [170 (60%) open surgical interventions, including 146 suprainguinal procedures] performed for claudication. The number of procedures increased by 62% (p<0.05) from the first period (n=108) to the second (n=175). Endovascular intervention to treat aortoiliac occlusive disease increased 4-fold (14 versus 56 interventions, p=0.01) compared to a decrease in open (bypass grafting, endarterectomy) surgical repair (45 to 31 procedures, p=0.22). The greatest change in resident experience was in endovascular intervention of infrainguinal occlusive disease: the case volume increased from 4 to 39 procedures (p=0.07) during the 2 time intervals. By contrast, the number of open surgical bypass procedures was similar (45 versus 49) in each 3-year period.


CONCLUSIONS
An audit of resident experience demonstrated intervention for claudication has increased during the past 6 years. The increased operative experience reflects more endovascular treatment (atherectomy, angioplasty, stent-graft placement) of femoropopliteal and aortoiliac occlusive disease, but no decrease in open surgical operative experience for claudication. This increase in endovascular intervention may be related to a decrease in the threshold for intervention.
Keeling
W Brent
WB
Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Stone
Patrick A
PA
Armstrong
Paul A
PA
Kearney
Heather
H
Klepczyk
Lisa
L
Blazick
Elizabeth
E
Back
Martin R
MR
Johnson
Brad L
BL
Bandyk
Dennis F
DF
Shames
Murray L
ML
D016208:Databases, Factual; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008485:Medical Audit; D009017:Morbidity; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data