The use of advanced robotic simulation labs to advance and assess senior resident robotic skills and operating room leadership competency: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: General surgery has the fastest growing robotic operative volume in the United States, but most robotic curricula are focused on basic psychomotor skills. There are limited curricula focused on advanced robotic technical and related non-technical skills. We describe a novel pilot curriculum for robotic hiatal hernia repair developed for senior surgical residents to provide training and standardized assessment of higher-order robotic technical and leadership skills. METHODS: Twelve senior residents, post-graduate year (PGY) 4 & 5, participated in a robotic hiatal hernia repair skills curriculum. Residents completed a pre- and post-survey on confidence and ability ratings on a 5-point Likert-type Scale, and a knowledge assessment. An informal faculty-led didactic was provided prior to the simulation. Residents were scored on two validated assessment tools: Ottawa Surgical Competency Operating Room Evaluation (O-SCORE) and Global Ratings Scale of Operative Performance (GRS) by faculty proctors. RESULTS: Confidence in ability to independently complete a robotic hiatal hernia case increased from mean of 2.6 ± 0.8 to 3.3 ± 0.6 (p = 0.0007). Following the simulation, residents reported increased overall confidence and ability to operate independently with mean scores of 3.3 ± 0.8 and 3.8 ± 0.9, respectively. Mean O-SCORE and GRS scores were 3.6 (range 2 - 4) and 25.4 (range 12 - 31), respectively. Number of prior live robotic cases was strongly positively correlated to O-SCORE (R = 0.84, p = 0.0006) and GRS (R = 0.88, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: Our pilot study suggests live-operative robotic training is not sufficient alone for advanced robotic skill training. Simulations such as this can be used to (1) practice advanced robotic technical and relevant non-technical skills such as communication and operating room leadership in a low stake setting and (2) assess residents in a standardized environment to eventually evaluate robotic competency.

Operative dictations in surgical trainees: an underutilized educational resource?

INTRODUCTION: Accurate operative notes are imperative to patient care and are used for communication, billing, quality assurance, and medical-legal conflicts. However, operative note quality often varies and many lack critical details. Unfortunately, no standardized training exists in operative dictations for surgical trainees. This pilot study sought to determine resident ability to dictate a comprehensive operative note and to determine a need for a formal operative dictation curriculum. METHODS: Thirty-eight surgical residents between post-graduate years (PGY) one to four participated in a ventral hernia repair simulation. One senior (PGY3/4) resident coached two junior residents (PGY1/2). Residents completed an informal needs assessment regarding operative dictations. Post-simulation, residents completed an operative dictation. Notes were graded using a modified validated rubric. RESULTS: Thirty-five residents completed the needs assessment, and 38 residents submitted an operative note. Eighty-two percent of this group have completed ≤ 25 operative dictations in training and 77% have received minimal feedback on operative dictations. Out of 33 total points, mean overall score was 18.9 ± 5.4 (Junior resident: 17.9 ± 5.4; Senior resident: 20.9 ± 4.8) Total mean scores did not significantly differ between junior and senior residents (p = 0.10). Senior and junior residents scored similarly on the procedural details component (p = 0.29). Senior residents scored higher on relevant patient history and operative note headers (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Standard surgical training may not provide enough teaching and feedback to residents on operative note dictations. A formal residency training curriculum may bolster trainee ability to learn the components of an effective operative note.

Chronological age does not predict postoperative outcomes following transversus abdominis release (TAR).

BACKGROUND: Transversus abdominis release (TAR) is an effective procedure for the repair of complex ventral hernias. However, TAR is not a low risk operation, particularly in older adults who are disproportionately affected by multiple age-related risk factors. While past studies have suggested that age alone inconsistently predicts patient outcomes, data regarding age's effect on postoperative outcomes and wound complications following a TAR are lacking. METHODS: Patients who underwent either an open or robotic bilateral TAR from 1/2018 to 9/2020 were eligible for the study. Patients were stratified by age groups (≥ 60 years vs. < 60 years and < 60, 60-70, and ≥ 70) and by both age and operative approach. The rates of key postoperative outcomes and wound morbidity were compared between the various cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 300 patients were included: 165 patients were ≥ 60 and 135 patients were < 60. Cohorts stratified by age were well-matched for important hernia factors: defect size (p = 0.31), BMI ≥ 30 (p = 0.46), OR time (p = 0.25), percent open TAR (p = 0.42), diabetes (p = 0.45) and history of prior surgical site infection (p = 0.40). The older cohort had significantly higher rates of coronary artery disease, hypertension, and COPD. On univariate analysis, cohorts stratified by age had similar rates of key postoperative and wound complications including in-hospital complications (p = 0.62), length of stay (p = 0.47), readmissions (p = 0.66), and surgical site occurrences (p = 0.68). Additionally, cohorts stratified by both age and operative approach also had similar outcomes. Multivariate analysis showed that chronological age was not independently associated with surgical site occurrences (p = 0.22), readmissions (p = 0.99), in-hospital complications (p = 0.15), or severe complications (p = 0.79). CONCLUSION: Open and robotic TARs can be safely performed in older adults and chronological age alone is a poor predictor of patient morbidity following TAR. Further investigation of alternative preoperative screening tools that do not rely solely on age are needed to better optimize surgical outcomes in older adults following TAR.

Perioperative outcomes of the Geriatric Assessment and Medical Preoperative Screening (GrAMPS) program pilot for older hernia patients: does chronological age predict outcomes?

BACKGROUND: The Geriatric Assessment and Medical Preoperative Screening (GrAMPS) program was an initial attempt to understand and to define the prevalence of age-related risk factors in older patients undergoing elective ventral hernia repair (VHR) or inguinal hernia repair (IHR). Preliminary analysis found significant rates of previously unrecognized objective cognitive dysfunction, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. We now examine whether chronological age as a sole risk factor can predict a patient's perioperative outcomes, and if traditional risk calculators that rely heavily on chronological age can accurately capture a patient's true risk. METHODS: This was a retrospective secondary analysis of the previously reported GrAMPS trial enrolling patients 60 years and older with a planned elective repair of a ventral or inguinal hernia. The rates of key postoperative outcomes were compared between various cohorts stratified by chronological age. Previously validated risk screening calculators [Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)] were compared between cohorts. RESULTS: In total, 55 (78.6%) of the 70 patients enrolled in GrAMPS underwent operative intervention by May 2021, including 26 VHR and 29 IHRs. Cohorts stratified by chronological age had similar rates of key perioperative wound and age-related outcomes including readmissions, postoperative complications, non-home discharges, and length of stay. Additionally, while the commonly used risk calculators, CCI and NSQIP, consistently predicted worse outcomes for older hernia patients (stratified by both median age and age-tertiles), screening positive on these risk assessments were not actually predictive of a greater incidence of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Chronological age does not accurately predict worse adverse postoperative complications in older hernia patients. Additionally, traditional risk screening calculators that rely heavily on age to risk stratify may not accurately capture a patient's true surgical risk. Surgeons should continue to explore nuanced patient risk assessments that more accurately capture age-related risk factors to better individualize perioperative risk.

Polypharmacy is predictive of postoperative complications in older adults undergoing ventral hernia repair.

BACKGROUND: Ventral hernias are common in older adults, and may be repaired via a transversus abdominus release (TAR). Older adults undergoing surgery have unique age-related risk factors, including polypharmacy. Polypharmacy is highly prevalent in older adults and is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. Our aim was to examine the prevalence and association of polypharmacy with clinical outcomes in older adults undergoing a TAR. METHODS: Patients 60 years and older who underwent elective open or robotic bilateral TAR were included in the study. Average daily medications taken preoperatively was collected and stratified by tertiles. Baseline demographic data, peri- and postoperative outcomes, and 30-day outcomes were collected. RESULTS: There were 132 total patients with an average age of 67.8 years. The number of daily medications ranged from 0 to 28, with an overall mean of 11.2 medications. Patients in tertile 1 took an average of 5.3 medications, tertile 2 10.5 medications, and tertile 3 17.9 medications. Patients in tertile 3 had more than double the rate of in-hospital complications (0.7) compared to tertiles 1 and 2 (0.3 and 0.3, respectively; p = 0.03). A greater number of daily medications was independently associated with postoperative delirium [odds ratio (OR) 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.3], cardiac events (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.3), ICU stay (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.3), and discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5). CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy was very common in older adults undergoing a TAR, and was associated with in-hospital complications, postoperative delirium, cardiac events, ICU stay, length of stay, and discharge to a SNF. Additional study is needed to assess if preoperative interventions to limit polypharmacy will improve outcomes for older adults undergoing a TAR.

Literature review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of cilostazol on limb salvage rates after infrainguinal endovascular and open revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Current clinical guidelines recommend the use of cilostazol in the treatment of patients with infrainguinal peripheral artery disease (PAD) who experience intermittent claudication. However, the role of cilostazol therapy in patients with advanced PAD and critical limb ischemia (CLI) remains unclear. To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that evaluated the effect of cilostazol vs standard antiplatelet therapy on limb-related and arterial patency-related outcomes. We also reviewed literature pertinent to the effect of cilostazol on wound healing in patients with advanced PAD. METHODS: We performed a MEDLINE, EMBASE, COCHRANE (CENTRAL), SCOPUS, and US Clinical Trials database search for all trials and studies since 1999 that compared cilostazol with standard antiplatelet therapy in the setting of infrainguinal PAD revascularization procedures (endovascular or open). Aggregate data was collected from four randomized control trials and six retrospective cohort studies. The end point incidence ratios and treatment effects were generated from each study and reported as hazard ratios (HR) using a random-effect model. We also reviewed 10 studies that evaluated the effect of cilostazol on wound healing in patients with advanced PAD. RESULTS: From more than 25,000 total patients, 3136 patients met our inclusion criteria. All patients had at least lifestyle-impacting intermittent claudication, and more than 50% met the definition of CLI (Rutherford class ≥4). Patient age range was 53 to 83 years, and the majority were male (66%). The mean follow-up time averaged 2 years across all studies. Meta-analysis revealed that cilostazol treatment favored amputation-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-0.91), limb salvage rate (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27-0.66), decreased repeat revascularization (risk ratio [RR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.37-0.52), and decreased restenosis (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.61-0.76). Cilostazol treatment also increased freedom from target lesion revascularization (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.21-1.53) with no difference in all-cause mortality. Effective wound healing was found to be an inconsistent outcome measure in patients receiving cilostazol therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that cilostazol therapy has a beneficial impact on all limb-related and arterial patency-related outcomes, but no effect on all-cause mortality in patients with advanced PAD and CLI undergoing revascularization procedures. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the effect of cilostazol therapy on wound healing in patients with advanced PAD.

Use of Simulation For Training Advanced Colorectal Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: Simulation training for minimally invasive colorectal procedures is in developing stages. This study aims to assess the impact of simulation on procedural knowledge and simulated performance in laparoscopic low anterior resection (LLAR) and robotic right colectomy (RRC). DESIGN: LLAR and RRC simulation procedures were designed using human cadaveric models. Resident case experience and simulation selfassessments scores for operative ability and knowledge were collected before and after the simulation. Colorectal faculty assessed resident simulation performance using validated assessment scales (OSATS-GRS, GEARS). Paired t-tests, unpaired t-tests, Pearson's correlation, and descriptive statistics were applied in analyses. SETTING: Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. PARTICIPANTS: Senior general surgery residents at large academic surgery program. RESULTS: Fifteen PGY4/PGY5 general surgery residents participated in each simulation. Mean LLAR knowledge score increased overall from 10.0 ±  2.0 to 11.5  ±  1.6 of 15 points (p = 0.0018); when stratified, this increase remained significant for the PGY4 cohort only. Mean confidence in ability to complete LLAR increased overall from 2.0 ±  0.8 to 2.8  ± 0.9 on a 5-point rating scale (p = 0.0013); when stratified, this increase remained significant for the PGY4 cohort only. Mean total OSATS GRS score was 28  ±  6.3 of 35 and had strong positive correlation with previous laparoscopic colorectal experience (r = 0.64, p = 0.0092). Mean RRC knowledge score increased from 9.4 ±  2.2 to 11.1 ±  1.5 of 15 points (p = 0.0030); when stratified, this increase again remained significant for the PGY4 cohort only. Mean confidence in ability to complete RRC increased from 1.9 ±  0.9 to 3.2  ±  1.1 (p = 0.0002) and was significant for both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical trainees require opportunities to practice advanced minimally invasive colorectal procedures. Our simulation approach promotes increased procedural knowledge and resident confidence and offers a safe complement to live operative experience for trainee development. In the future, simulations will target trainees on the earlier part of the learning curve and be paired with live operative assessments to characterize longitudinal skill progression.

Does gender affect experiences in the operating room for surgeons and anesthesiologists at a large academic center?

BACKGROUND: Although the number of women medical trainees has increased in recent years, they remain a minority of the academic workforce. Gender-based implicit biases may lead to deleterious effects on surgical workforce retention and productivity. METHODS: All 440 attending surgeons and anesthesiologists employed at our institution were invited to complete a survey regarding perceptions of the perioperative work environment and resources. Odds ratios for dichotomous variables were calculated using logistic regressions, and for trichotomous variables, polytomous regressions. RESULTS: 243 participants (55.2%) provided complete survey responses. Relative to men, women faculty reported a greater need to prove themselves to staff; less respect and fewer resources and opportunities; more frequent assumptions about their capabilities; and a greater need to adjust their demeanor to connect with their team (p â€‹< â€‹0.05). CONCLUSION: Perceived gender bias remains present in the perioperative environment. We need greater efforts to address barriers and create an equitable work environment.

The efficacy of goal-directed recommendations in overcoming barriers to elective ventral hernia repair in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Although ventral hernias are common in older adults and can impair quality of life, multiple barriers exist that preclude ventral hernia repair. The goal of this study was to determine if older adults with ventral hernias achieve surgeon-directed goals to progress to an elective ventral hernia repair. METHODS: Patients ≥60 years evaluated for a ventral hernia in a specialty clinic from January 2018 to August 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Nonoperative candidates with modifiable risk factors were included. Data collected included specific barriers to ventral hernia repair and recommendations to address these barriers for future ventral hernia repair eligibility. Patients lost to follow-up were contacted by phone. RESULTS: In total, 559 patients were evaluated, with 182 (32.6%) deemed nonoperative candidates with modifiable risk factors (median age 68 years, body mass index 38.2). Surgeon-directed recommendations included weight loss (53.8%), comorbidity management by a medical specialist (44.0%), and smoking cessation (19.2%). Ultimately, 45/182 patients (24.7%) met preoperative goals and progressed to elective ventral hernia repair. Alternatively, 5 patients (2.7%) required urgent/emergency surgical intervention. Importantly, 106/182 patients (58.2%) did not return to clinic after initial consultation. Of those contacted (n = 62), 35.5% reported failure to achieve optimization goals. Initial body mass index ≥40 and surgeon-recommended weight loss were associated with lack of patient follow-up (P = .01, P = .02) and progression to elective ventral hernia repair (P = .009, P = .005). CONCLUSION: Nearly one-third of older adults evaluated for ventral hernias were nonoperative candidates, most often due to obesity, and over half of these patients were lost to follow-up. An increase in structured support is needed for patients to achieve surgeon-specified preoperative goals.

The Advanced Certifying Exam Simulation-Pro assessment instrument: evaluating surgical trainee examsmanship in virtual oral exams.

Purpose: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational activities in general surgery residency have shifted to a virtual environment, including the American Board of Surgery (ABS) Certifying Exam. Virtual exams may become the new standard. In response, we developed an evaluation instrument, the ACES-Pro, to assess surgical trainee performance with a focus on examsmanship in virtual oral board examinations. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to assess the utility and validity of the evaluation instrument, and (2) to characterize the unique components of strong examsmanship in the virtual setting, which has distinct challenges when compared to in-person examsmanship. Methods: We developed a 15-question evaluation instrument, the ACES-Pro, to assess oral board performance in the virtual environment. Nine attending surgeons viewed four pre-recorded oral board exam scenarios and scored examinees using this instrument. Evaluations were compared to assess for inter-rater reliability. Faculty were also surveyed about their experience using the instrument. Results: Pilot evaluators found the ACES-Pro instrument easy to use and felt it appropriately captured key professionalism metrics of oral board exam performance. We found acceptable inter-rater reliability in the domains of verbal communication, non-verbal communication, and effective use of technology (Guttmann's lambda-2 were 0.796, 0.916, and 0.739, respectively). Conclusions: The ACES-Pro instrument is an assessment with evidence for validity as understood by Kane's framework to evaluate multiple examsmanship domains in the virtual exam setting. Examinees must consider best practices for virtual examsmanship to perform well in this environment. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44186-023-00107-7.