Resident Involvement Is Not Associated With Increased Risk of Postoperative Complications After Arthroscopic Knee...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Surgical Quality Improvement
• Medical Education

Background:

• Resident training is crucial for developing surgical expertise.
• The impact of resident involvement on patient outcomes in knee arthroscopy is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if resident involvement in knee arthroscopy impacts postoperative complications or operative times.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry (2006-2012).
• Propensity score matching was used to compare patients with and without resident involvement.
• Analysis included 30-day postoperative complications, operative time, and length of hospital stay.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall 30-day postoperative complications (1.1% in both groups).
• No significant difference in surgical or medical complications between groups.
• Resident involvement was associated with longer operative times (69.8 vs 66.8 minutes) and length of hospital stay (0.85 vs 0.21 days).

Conclusions:

• Resident involvement in knee arthroscopy does not pose a significant risk for 30-day postoperative complications.
• Increased operative time and length of stay associated with resident participation are statistically significant but likely clinically insignificant.