Impact of Resident-Performed Laparoscopic Appendectomy on Patient Outcomes and Safety

Laparoscopic appendectomy is a training model for surgical residents to begin their surgical experience. However, there is concern about worse outcomes of surgery performed by inexperienced residents. We investigated surgical outcomes and patient safety in laparoscopic appendectomy performed by residents.

This is a retrospective cohort study of all consecutive patients operated on for acute appendicitis in a single tertiary hospital. A total of 971 patients who had laparoscopic appendectomy on an emergency basis between December 2010 and 2014 were analyzed. An attending, fellow, or resident with or without supervision performed the surgery. Surgical outcomes were compared among the four groups according to operator type.

Laparoscopic appendectomy was successfully performed in 965 patients (99.4%) and was converted to open surgery in 6 patients. The conversion rate and incidence of complications were not different among the four groups. Operating time and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in the attending group than in the fellow or resident groups, but did not differ between the fellow and resident groups. Unsupervised residents or fellows more often placed abdominal drainage than attending surgeons. Patients with drainage had a significantly longer hospital stay compared to patients without drainage (3.64 days versus 6.33 days, P ≤ .0001), as well as a longer mean time to gas passage (1.17 days versus 1.61 days, P ≤ .0001).

Resident-performed laparoscopic appendectomy was safe, but was associated with significant prolongations in hospital stay and operation time. These differences were not clinically relevant with regard to complications.