Resident Involvement in Shoulder-Stabilization Procedures Is Not Associated With an Increased Risk of 30-Day Postoperative Complications.

PURPOSE: To examine the 30-day postoperative outcomes of resident involvement in shoulder-stabilization surgical procedures using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the National Surgical Quality Improvement database for all shoulder-stabilization procedures from 2010 to 2018. Procedures included arthroscopic Bankart, arthroscopic Bankart with SLAP repair, arthroscopic Bankart with Remplissage, open Bankart, anterior bone block, posterior bone block, Latarjet coracoid process transfer, and capsular shift/capsulorrhaphy for multidirectional instability. Data included preoperative demographics, comorbidities, and 30-day postoperative outcomes. Cases were categorized into 2 groups: "attending alone" and "attending and resident." Statistical analysis comparing groups on demographics and comorbidities included independent t -test for continuous variables and Pearson χ2 or Fischer exact for categorical variables. A logistic regression model including propensity score was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio for outcomes.

RESULTS: A total of 3,954 patients undergoing shoulder-stabilization procedures were included in the study and 28.8% of patients had a resident involved in their procedure. Residents were more likely to be involved in procedure for patients who were of minority ethnicity ( P  < .001), a lower body mass index ( P < .001) and less likely to have a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( P  = .029). Resident involvement resulted in statistically significant longer total operation time (91 vs 85 minutes, P < .001). In terms of postsurgical outcomes, complication rates were low for both groups (∼0.8%). Resident involvement was not associated with any significant increase in 30-day postsurgical complications.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that resident involvement in shoulder-stabilization surgery is associated with a significant increase in operative time without any significant increase in 30-day postsurgical complications.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study.