Effect of Prior Formal Education on Successful Thoracic Epidural Placement By Anesthesia Residents

Catheter placement for thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is technically challenging; however, methods for teaching this technique to anesthesia residents have not been well-studied. The present study aimed to determine optimal teaching methods for proficient TEA catheter placement by comparing video-based formal resident education with traditional bedside training by attending physicians.

Prospective, randomized study.

Large academic hospital, single institution.

The study comprised 76 postgraduate year 3 and 4 anesthesiology residents (38 intervention, 38 control).

Formal education included an instructional video on proper TEA technique.

Measures of proficiency in TEA catheter placement included the time needed to complete the procedure successfully and the success of placement as indicated by patient confirmation. Residents who received formal video instruction had similar success in catheter placement and similar procedure times compared with the traditionally trained residents. The overall success rate was 99.2%, with faculty intervention required in only 17% of cases. More experienced residents (ie, having placed more epidural catheters) were faster at TEA catheter placement.

Formal video education for TEA catheter placement provided no additional improvement of resident proficiency compared with traditional training at a high-volume academic center. The success rate was very high in this group of residents; however, experiences at other institutions may vary. Future studies are needed to determine optimum teaching strategies for TEA.