The role of multiorgan procurement for abdominal transplant in general surgery resident education.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of participation of multiorgan procurement (MP) by general surgery (GS) residents on surgical knowledge and skills, a prospective cohort study of GS residents during transplant surgery rotation was performed.

METHODS: Before and after participation in MPs, assessment of knowledge was performed by written pre and post tests and surgical skills by modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) score. Thirty-nine residents performed 84 MPs.

RESULTS: Significant improvement was noted in the written test scores (63.3% vs 76.7%; P < 0.001). Better surgical score was associated with female gender (15.4 vs 13.3, P = <0.01), prior MP experience (16.2 vs 13.7, P = 0.03), and senior level resident (15.1 vs 13.0, P = 0.03). Supraceliac aortic dissection (P = 0.0017) and instrument handling (P = 0.041) improved with more MP operations.

CONCLUSIONS: Participation in MP improves residents' knowledge of abdominal anatomy and surgical technique.