Decreasing electrosurgical transurethral resection of the prostate surgical volume during graduate medical education training is associated with increased surgical adverse events.

PURPOSE

In the United States the numbers of electrosurgical transurethral prostate resection procedures have been decreasing. Since electrosurgical transurethral resection of the prostate is a difficult procedure to master, we hypothesized that recent residents are lacking in training for this procedure. We used summary case log information provided by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to determine if the number of electrosurgical transurethral prostate resection procedures performed by graduating chief residents has decreased and if there has been an increase in surgical adverse events. In addition, we investigated whether the increased number of laser procedures impacted the rate of adverse events.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Summary operative data from graduating chief resident case logs were provided by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for academic years 2001 to 2007. The numbers of electrosurgical transurethral prostate resection procedures, laser procedures and procedures for adverse events were recorded for each year.

RESULTS

The number of electrosurgical transurethral prostate resection procedures performed by graduating chief residents has steadily decreased from 58 in 2001 to 43 in 2007. Conversely the number of laser procedures started increasing in 2004. The rate of procedures for adverse events as a percentage of electrosurgical transurethral resection of the prostate procedures increased during the study period (from 3% in 2001 to 6% in 2007), and as a percentage of electrosurgical transurethral resection of the prostate and laser procedures the rate increased until 2005 and subsequently started decreasing.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of surgical adverse events, as measured by the need for subsequent procedures, has increased during the last 7 years. However, when laser procedures are accounted for, it appears that adverse events have recently started trending down as an increasing number of laser procedures started being performed.