Impact of resident involvement in neurosurgery: an analysis of 8748 patients from the 2011 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database

OBJECT This study evaluates the impact of resident presence in the operating room on postoperative outcomes in neurosurgery. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) and identified all cases treated in a neurosurgery service in 2011. Propensity scoring analysis and multiple logistic regression models were used to reduce patient bias and to assess independent effect of resident involvement. RESULTS Of the 8748 neurosurgery cases identified, residents were present in 4529 cases. Residents were more likely to be involved in complex procedures with longer operative duration. The multivariate analysis found that resident involvement was not a statistically significant factor for overall complications (OR 1.116, 95% CI 0.961–1.297), surgical complications (OR 1.132, 95% CI 0.825–1.554), medical complications (OR 1.146, 95% CI 0.979–1.343), reoperation (OR 1.250, 95% CI 0.984–1.589), mortality (OR 1.164, 95% CI 0.780–1...