RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 How Does the Presence of a Surgical Trainee Impact Patient Outcomes in Lumbar Fusion Surgery?
JF International Journal of Spine Surgery
JO Int J Spine Surg
FD International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery
SP 8033
DO 10.14444/8033
A1 Srikanth N. Divi
A1 Dhruv Kc Goyal
A1 Eve Hoffman
A1 William K. Conaway
A1 Matt Galtta
A1 Daniel R. Bowles
A1 Nathan V. Houlihan
A1 Joseph F. Bechay
A1 Richard M. McEntee
A1 I. David Kaye
A1 Mark F. Kurd
A1 Barrett I. Woods
A1 Kris E. Radcliff
A1 Jeffery A. Rihn
A1 D. Greg Anderson
A1 Alan S. Hilibrand
A1 Christopher K. Kepler
A1 Alexander R. Vaccaro
A1 Gregory D. Schroeder
YR 2021
UL https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/early/2021/03/30/8033.abstract
AB Background While the impact of trainee involvement in other surgical fields is well established, there is a paucity of literature assessing this relationship in orthopaedic spine surgery. The goal of this study was to further elucidate this relationship.Methods A retrospective cohort study was initiated on patients undergoing 1–3 level lumbar spine fusion at a single academic center. Operative reports from cases were examined, and patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether a fellow or resident (F/R) or a physician's assistant (PA) was used as the primary assist. Patients with less than 1-year follow-up were excluded. Multiple linear regression was used to assess change in each patient-reported outcome, and multiple binary logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of revision, infection, and 30- or 90-day readmission.Results One hundred and seventy-two patients were included in the F/R group compared with 178 patients in the PA group. No differences existed between groups for total surgery time, length of stay, 30- or 90-day readmissions, infection, or revision rates. No differences existed between groups in terms of patient-reported outcomes preoperatively or postoperatively. In addition, presence of a surgical trainee was not a significant predictor of patient outcomes or rates of infection, overall revision, or 30- and 90-day readmission rates.Conclusions The results of this study indicate the presence of an orthopaedic spine F/R does not increase complication rates and does not affect short-term patient-reported outcomes in lumbar decompression and fusion surgery.Level of Evidence 3.