Case distributions in general surgery residency: Subspecialization occurs before fellowship.

BACKGROUND: In the era of subspecialization and duty-hour restrictions, many General Surgery residents desire additional training in their future subspecialty areas. This study examines the relationship between case distributions performed by General Surgery residents and their chosen future subspecialty. METHODS: A retrospective review of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs of 101 graduated General Surgery residents at a single academic institution (2002-2018) was performed. The total number of operative cases performed during General Surgery residency overall and in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-defined categories were compared between residents with differing areas of future subspecialization. RESULTS: Residents pursuing surgical fellowships in Endocrine, Cardiothoracic, Vascular, and Trauma/Critical Care Surgery logged respectively more endocrine (63 [11] vs 32 [13]; P < .001), thoracic (61 [15] vs 41 [13]; P < .001), vascular (225 [38] vs 162 [38]; P < .001), and operative trauma (83 [29] vs 71 [25]; P = .045) cases, compared with program average. Residents pursuing General Surgery (no fellowship) performed significantly more endoscopies (131 [47] vs 105 [28]; P = .029) than peers. Residents pursuing Breast, Oncology, Colorectal, and Pediatric Surgery fellowships performed numerically (non-significantly) more breast (94 [16] vs 78 [20]; P = .180), liver/pancreas (39 [3.1] vs 33 [8.0]; P = .173), large intestinal (132 [30] vs 125 [24]; P = .507), and pediatric (173 [27] vs 155 [37]; P = .832) cases, respectively, compared with peers. The majority of these additional cases were performed in postgraduate years 3 to 5. CONCLUSION: In this single-institution study, many General Surgery residents perform more cases than peers in respective areas of future subspecialization. This may reflect residents at the reporting institution, and similar large, university-based programs seeking focused training in preparation for fellowship while still meeting case-volume minimums in all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-defined categories.

Better ABSITE performance with increased operative case load during surgical residency.

BACKGROUND: Common measures of evaluating surgical resident progression include American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam scores and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education operative case logs. This study evaluates the relationship between operative cases performed and American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam scores in general surgery residents. METHODS: A retrospective review of American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam scores and operative case logs was performed for postgraduate year 1-5 general surgery residents at a single academic institution (2008-2017). For each resident, the total number of operative cases logged from the start of their postgraduate year 1 until the end of each academic year was calculated and compared to their American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam scores for that corresponding year. RESULTS: At all postgraduate-year levels, there was a positive linear relationship between the number of cases logged and American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam percentile (slope, m = 0.23-5.2, R2 .01-.17) and scaled (m = 0.29-5.3, R2 .13-.37) scores. At the postgraduate year 1, 2, 3, and 5 levels, and with all residents combined, residents in the top quartile of cases logged performed significantly better on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam than those in the bottom quartile (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Surgical residents who perform more operative cases do significantly better on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam than their peers. This association may be due to increased clinical experience, exposure to pathology, and/or individual resident motivation.

Incidence and management of N-acetylcysteine-related anaphylactoid reactions during the management of acute paracetamol overdose.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment for paracetamol overdose are typically anaphylactoid in origin and occur in 2-48% of treated patients. We explored the incidence and management of NAC ADR in our unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Case notes of patients who presented with paracetamol overdose and had ADR to NAC between February 2005 and June 2011 were reviewed. A total of 1648 patients presented with suspected paracetamol overdose and 660 received NAC treatment. Within this group, 82 patients had documented NAC-related ADR. RESULTS: ADR developed in 12.4% (82/660) of patients receiving intravenous NAC and 59 had full documentation available and were included in this study (34 women, 25 men). ADR occurred in the 15-min (150 mg/kg) bag in 36 cases (61%), 22 in the 4-h (50 mg/kg) bag (37%) and one in the 16-h (100 mg/kg) bag (2%). Symptoms were classified as minimal (n=16, 27%), moderate (n=26, 44%) and severe (n=17, 29%). Asthma and female sex, which are reported risk factors for ADR, did not lead to the development of more severe ADR (P=0.771 and 0.330, respectively). Treatments administered included stopping the NAC infusion (n=32, 54%), administration of antiemetics (n=36, 61%), H1 antihistamines (n=26, 44%), steroids (n=16, 27%), inhaled B2 agonists (n=6, 10%) and adrenaline (n=3, 5%). CONCLUSION: The incidence of ADR to NAC was comparable with published studies, although there was no association of severity with asthma or female sex. The management of ADRs is variable, with frequent, inappropriate use of steroids. Education about the pathophysiology of these ADRs may improve management.