TY - JOUR
T1 - Annual Surgeon Volume and Patient Outcomes Following Laparoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repairs
AU - Aljamal, Yazan N.
AU - Zendejas, Benjamin
AU - Gas, Becca L.
AU - Ali, Shahzad M.
AU - Heller, Stephanie F.
AU - Kendrick, Michael L.
AU - Farley, David R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2016.
PY - 2016/2
Y1 - 2016/2
N2 - Purpose: Data on laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repairs (TEP-IHRs) suggest that approximately 250 operations are needed to gain mastery, but the annual volume required to maintain high-quality outcomes is unknown. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of every patient undergoing a TEP-IHR at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from 1995 to 2011. Analysis focused on the annual volume of 21 staff surgeons and their specific patient outcomes broken up into three groups: Group 1 (G1) (n = 1 surgeon) performed >30 repairs per year; Group 2 (G2) (n = 3 surgeons), 15-30 repairs; and Group 3 (G3) (n = 17), <15 repairs. Results: In total, 1601 patients underwent 2410 TEP-IHRs, with no significant patient demographic differences among groups. Greater annual surgeon volume (G1 > G2 > G3) was associated with improved outcomes as shown by the respective rates for intra- (1%, 2.6%, and 5.6%) and postoperative (13%, 27%, and 36%) complications, need for overnight stay (17%, 23%, and 29%), and hernia recurrence (1%, 4%, and 4.3%) (all P < .05). Surgeons with greater annual operative volumes were more likely to operate on patients with bilateral and recurrent hernias. Surgeons performing at least 15 repairs per year (G1 and G2) showed improvements in quality metrics over time. Conclusions: Annual operative volumes of >30 repairs per year are associated with the highest quality outcomes for TEP-IHR. Operative volumes of at least 15 repairs per year are associated with improvements in quality metrics over time. Mentorship and operative assistance of low-volume TEP-IHR surgeons may be useful in improving patient outcomes.
AB - Purpose: Data on laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repairs (TEP-IHRs) suggest that approximately 250 operations are needed to gain mastery, but the annual volume required to maintain high-quality outcomes is unknown. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of every patient undergoing a TEP-IHR at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from 1995 to 2011. Analysis focused on the annual volume of 21 staff surgeons and their specific patient outcomes broken up into three groups: Group 1 (G1) (n = 1 surgeon) performed >30 repairs per year; Group 2 (G2) (n = 3 surgeons), 15-30 repairs; and Group 3 (G3) (n = 17), <15 repairs. Results: In total, 1601 patients underwent 2410 TEP-IHRs, with no significant patient demographic differences among groups. Greater annual surgeon volume (G1 > G2 > G3) was associated with improved outcomes as shown by the respective rates for intra- (1%, 2.6%, and 5.6%) and postoperative (13%, 27%, and 36%) complications, need for overnight stay (17%, 23%, and 29%), and hernia recurrence (1%, 4%, and 4.3%) (all P < .05). Surgeons with greater annual operative volumes were more likely to operate on patients with bilateral and recurrent hernias. Surgeons performing at least 15 repairs per year (G1 and G2) showed improvements in quality metrics over time. Conclusions: Annual operative volumes of >30 repairs per year are associated with the highest quality outcomes for TEP-IHR. Operative volumes of at least 15 repairs per year are associated with improvements in quality metrics over time. Mentorship and operative assistance of low-volume TEP-IHR surgeons may be useful in improving patient outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1089/lap.2015.0368
DO - 10.1089/lap.2015.0368
M3 - Article
C2 - 26863294
AN - SCOPUS:84959018005
SN - 1092-6429
VL - 26
SP - 92
EP - 98
JO - Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques
JF - Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques
IS - 2
ER -