Results of Traumatic Canalicular Laceration Repair Performed by Trainees in a Tertiary Eye Care Center

Abstract

Background: Lacrimal canalicular laceration is a common condition in emergency medicine. Many eyelid lacerations involve the lacrimal canalicular system. In the authors’ institution, nearly all cases of lacrimal canalicular laceration are treated by ophthalmology trainees, and are followed-up periodically in the post-operative period. Objective: To analyze the success rate of the cases of lacrimal canalicular laceration treated by trainees in a tertiary eye care center in Thailand. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with canalicular laceration were treated between January 2005 and December 2017. Data gathered from ICD10, operation records, and in-patient and out-patient medical records were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were 20 males (66%) and 10 females (34%) with a mean age of 30.86 years (range 1 to 78 years). Seventy percent of patients presented outside of normal office hours. Most injuries were caused by non-vehicular accidents. Twentyfive of 30 cases (83.33%) were repaired by trainees, and 63% of cases were repaired after office hours. The mean waiting time from presentation to repair was 9 hours 56 minutes (range: 3 hours 35 minutes to 22 hours 10 minutes). The follow-up rate at six months postoperative was 53.33%. The success rate of repairs performed by trainees was 93.75%. Conclusion: The success rate of lacrimal canalicular laceration repair performed by trainees was very satisfactory. The average waiting time for surgery was acceptable. Only half of the patients were followed-up for six months post-operative. Improvement is required in the recording of pertinent details in the medical records, which is an important issue to train the trainees. Keywords: Tear canaliculus, Lacrimal canalicular laceration, Repair, Residents, Trainees, Oculoplastic surgeon