Vitreoretinal surgical performance after acute alcohol consumption and hangover
Marina Roizenblatt1,2, Peter Louis Gehlbach2, Vitor Dias Gomes Barrios Marin3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil maroizenb@gmail.com.
The British Journal of Ophthalmology
|August 1, 2024
Summary
Alcohol impairs simulated surgical performance in a dose-dependent manner. While dexterity improves by morning, tremor increases, raising concerns for patient safety in vitreoretinal surgeons.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Education
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Routine alcohol testing for physicians is debated due to lack of guidelines.
- Physician performance and dexterity can be affected by alcohol consumption.
- Vitreoretinal surgeons require high levels of precision and skill.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess the effects of alcohol on simulated surgical performance and microtremor in vitreoretinal surgeons.
- To investigate both acute and next-morning (hangover) effects of varying breath alcohol concentrations (BAC).
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study involving 11 senior vitreoretinal surgeons (>10 years practice).
- Simulated surgical performance assessed using the Eyesi simulator after low-dose (0.06%-0.10% BAC) and high-dose (0.11%-0.15% BAC) alcohol intake.
- Microtremor evaluated after high-dose alcohol consumption followed by a night's sleep (hangover condition).
Main Results:
- Surgeon performance significantly declined with higher alcohol doses (high-dose vs. low-dose, p=0.04).
- Performance during hangover was comparable to low-dose alcohol effects (p=1.00) and tended to be better than high-dose effects (p=0.09).
- Microtremor increased significantly during hangover compared to low-dose alcohol (p=0.03) and showed a trend toward increase compared to high-dose effects (p=0.08).
Conclusions:
- Alcohol consumption negatively impacts simulated surgical dexterity in a dose-dependent manner among vitreoretinal surgeons.
- While dexterity recovers by the next morning, it remains comparable to low-dose alcohol effects.
- Increased microtremor during hangover warrants further investigation regarding patient safety in real surgical scenarios.
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