LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY FOR ACUTE APPENDICITIS: WHAT SPACE IS THERE FOR TRAINING RESIDENTS?

Introduction: Material and methods: We performed a retrospective study examining the records of patients with acute appendicitis that underwent laparoscopy appendectomy at our institution from September 2011 to June 2017. Cases were divided in two groups: those performed by a trainee (G1) and those performed by the senior surgeon (G2). In each group we compared preoperative characteristics, operative data and postoperative morbidity and mortality.Results: During the study period, 922 patients with clinical diagnosis of appendicitis underwent laparoscopic appendectomy at our institution: of these, 386 cases were performed primarily by residents and 536 were performed by senior surgeons. There were no statistical differences in pre-operative characteristics of patients. The two groups did not differ significantly regarding operative times (G1:67 ± 19 vs G2:70 ± 26 minutes), postoperative major complications (G1:9% vs G2:19%), length of stay (3 ± 2 days for both groups), and 30-days mortality (none)., operative times (67 ± 19 vs 70 ± 26 min; respectively), major complications (2% vs 3%; respectively) and length of hospital stay (3 ± 2 vs 3 ± 3). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the type of main surgeon was not an independent risk factor for postoperative morbidity. Conclusion: Postoperative results of laparoscopic appendectomies do not differ significantly if surgeries are performed by residents as opposed to specialists. Appendectomy can provide teaching opportunities without compromising results for patients. References: Disclosure: No significant relationships.