Learning by doing: an observational study of the learning curve for ultrasonic fundus-first dissection in elective cholecystectomy

My Blohm,Johanna Österberg,Elisabeth Abdon,Edmunds Austrums,Lars Enochsson,Gabriel Sandblom,Yücel Cengiz,Mats Hedberg,Ulf Gustafsson,Joakim Hennings,Angelica Diaz-Pannes

doi:10.1007/s00464-021-08976-z

Abstract

BackgroundSurgical safety and patient-related outcomes are important considerations when introducing new surgical techniques. Studies about the learning curves for different surgical procedures are sparse. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the learning curve for ultrasonic fundus-first (FF) dissection in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).MethodsThe study was conducted at eight hospitals in Sweden between 2017 and 2019. The primary endpoint was dissection time, with secondary endpoints being intra- and postoperative complication rates and the surgeon’s self-assessed performance level. Participating surgeons (n = 16) were residents or specialists who performed LC individually but who had no previous experience in ultrasonic FF dissection. Each surgeon performed fifteen procedures. Video recordings from five of the procedures were analysed by two external surgeons. Patient characteristics and data on complications were retrieved from the Swedish Registry of Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks).ResultsDissection time decreased as experience increased (p = 0.001). Surgeons with limited experience showed more rapid progress. The overall complication rate was 14 (5.8%), including 3 (1.3%) potentially technique-related complications. Video assessment scores showed no correlation with the number of procedures performed. The self-assessed performance level was rated lower when the operation was more complicated (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur results show that dissection time decreased with increasing experience. Most surgeons identified both favourable and unfavourable aspects of the ultrasonic FF technique. The ultrasonic device is considered well suited for gallbladder surgery, but most participating surgeons preferred to dissect the gallbladder the traditional way, beginning in the triangle of Calot. Nevertheless, LC with ultrasonic FF dissection can be considered easy to learn with a low complication rate during the initial learning curve, for both residents and specialists.

Highlights

If the technique proves to be easy to learn with a low complication rate during the initial learning curve, it might stand as an alternative to electrocautery dissection and be a way to further improve surgical safety and patient-related outcomes
Data were collected from a procedure-related case report form (CRF), video recordings and the Swedish Registry for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks)
We evaluated the ultrasonic FF dissection technique in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), with dissection time as a surrogate measure of the learning curve

Summary

Introduction

Surgical safety and patient-related outcomes are important considerations when introducing new surgical techniques. Studies about the learning curves for different surgical procedures are sparse. The primary endpoint was dissection time, with secondary endpoints being intra- and postoperative complication rates and the surgeon’s self-assessed performance level. Participating surgeons (n = 16) were residents or specialists who performed LC individually but who had no previous experience in ultrasonic FF dissection. Results Dissection time decreased as experience increased (p = 0.001). Conclusions Our results show that dissection time decreased with increasing experience. Most surgeons identified both favourable and unfavourable aspects of the ultrasonic FF technique. LC with ultrasonic FF dissection can be considered easy to learn with a low complication rate during the initial learning curve, for both residents and specialists

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