Impact of Integrated Thoracic Residency on General Surgery Residents' Thoracic Operative Volume

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Thoracic Surgery

Background:

• Integrated thoracic surgery (I-6) programs have gained popularity since 2007.
• The impact of I-6 programs on general surgery (GS) resident training is not well understood.
• This study evaluates the effect of I-6 programs on the thoracic operative experience of co-located GS residents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the influence of integrated thoracic surgery (I-6) programs on the operative case volume of general surgery (GS) residents.
• To determine if the introduction of I-6 programs impacts the quality and quantity of thoracic surgical training for GS residents.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of GS resident case logs from 19 co-located I-6 programs (pre- and post-I-6 matriculation).
• Review of thoracic surgery cases recorded by GS residents over a 10-year period (5 years before and 5 years after I-6 program inception).
• Comparison with national trends in GS resident thoracic surgery case logs (1990-2018) using linear regression analysis.

Main Results:

• Total thoracic cases in co-located programs increased, but the number of GS residents also rose.
• No significant change was observed in the median thoracic operative case volume for GS residents.
• National data showed no overall change in thoracic operative experience for GS graduates during the study period.

Conclusions:

• Integrated thoracic surgery (I-6) programs do not adversely affect the thoracic operative experience of general surgery (GS) residents.
• Simultaneous training of both I-6 and GS residents within the same institution is achievable.
• The findings support the feasibility of dual training pathways in thoracic surgery.