title: Safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed by surgical residents.
abstract: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is being widely performed by surgical residents, but specific outcomes have been poorly investigated. Data from 171 consecutive, unselected patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed by surgical residents were collected and matched with an equal number of randomly extracted laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed by experienced senior staff surgeons between 2000 and 2006 at our institution. Demographic data, emergency procedures, cholangiographies, complications and length of stay were not significantly different between the two groups. However, surgical residents performed the operations in less complicated patients (ASA group 3-4 2% vs. 8%, respectively, p = 0.04). Moreover, the median duration of surgery was significantly longer in the resident group (67 vs. 50 minutes, p < 0.001), with fewer additional contemporary procedures (3% vs. 7%, respectively, p = 0.009). This study established that although surgical residents operated on less complex patients with longer operative times, the intraoperative difficulties and main outcomes were the same as for the senior surgeons.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Division of General Surgery, Department of General Medicine and Surgery, Careggi Main Florence University and District Hospital, Florence.
authors.forename: Lapo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bencini
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernini
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farsi
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boffi
authors.forename: Egidio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moraldi
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moretti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007558:Italy; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome