Complications in Hand Surgery During Early Independent Practice: A Single Surgeon's 5-Year Experience.
Hand (N Y)
; : 15589447231201875, 2023 Oct 03.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37787486
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The objective of this study was to understand the frequency and types of complications, and the associated postoperative outcomes within the first 5 years of practice after hand and upper extremity surgery fellowship.METHODS:
This was a retrospective observational study of all patients seen and surgically treated by a single surgeon at a single institution from August 2014 to September 2019. This corresponded to the first 5 years of practice after fellowship. Data collected included patient demographics, perioperative data, complication type, and outcome of the complication (better/same/worse than preoperative status). Complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system and a unique, self-derived system.RESULTS:
In total, 3301 surgeries were performed during the first 5 years of practice. The overall complication rate was 7.9% (261 complications from 239 patients). The 30-day complication rate was 5.2% (171/3301). Eleven (4.2%) of the 261 complications occurred intraoperatively. The total number of complications significantly declined during the first 5 years of practice as follows 74, 71, 46, 37, and 33 (P = .010, R2 = .92). Hand and wrist were the most frequent anatomic locations involved and bone pathology was the predominant indication.CONCLUSION:
The overall surgical complication rate for hand and upper extremity surgery was 7.9%, with a 30-day complication rate of 5.2% (171/3301). The rate of complications after fellowship declined over the first 5 years of independent practice. Superficial infections were the most common complication. More than 90% of patients ultimately improved after addressing the complication. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Hand (N Y)
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States