The study examined data on more than 60,000 surgeries performed in the United States between 2005 and 2007. Researchers found that when residents were involved, under 6 percent of patients had major complications such as severe bleeding or serious post-surgery infection. The rate was the same for surgeries where a resident was not involved.
“This shows that resident participation [in surgery] is safe,” said Ravi Kiran, MD, the lead researcher on the study and a colorectal surgeon at Cleveland Clinic.
The odds of minor complications, specifically skin infection at the surgery site, were slightly higher with resident involvement. On average, procedures with residents took a little longer — 122 minutes versus 97 minutes. Dr. Kiran noted that longer surgery times tend to be associated with a higher risk of skin infection, according to other studies.
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