1. The Presence of an Advanced Gastrointestinal (GI)/Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Fellowship Program Does Not Impact Short-Term Patient Outcomes Following Fundoplication or Esophagomyotomy.
- Author
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Groves DK, Altieri MS, Sullivan B, Yang J, Talamini MA, and Pryor AD
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Female, Fundoplication adverse effects, Fundoplication methods, Heller Myotomy adverse effects, Heller Myotomy methods, Humans, Length of Stay statistics & numerical data, Male, Medically Uninsured statistics & numerical data, Medicare statistics & numerical data, Middle Aged, Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures adverse effects, Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures methods, New York, Patient Readmission statistics & numerical data, Postoperative Complications ethnology, United States, Young Adult, Fellowships and Scholarships, Fundoplication statistics & numerical data, Heller Myotomy statistics & numerical data, Hospitals, Teaching statistics & numerical data, Postoperative Complications epidemiology
- Abstract
Introduction: The current surgical landscape reflects a continual trend towards sub-specialization, evidenced by an increasing number of US surgeons who pursue fellowship training after residency. Despite this growing trend, however, the effect of advanced gastrointestinal (GI)/minimally invasive surgery (MIS) fellowship programs on patient outcomes following foregut/esophageal operations remains unclear. This study looks at two representative foregut surgeries (laparoscopic fundoplication and esophagomyotomy) performed in New York State (NYS), comparing hospitals which do and do not possess a GI/MIS fellowship program, to examine the effect of such a program on perioperative outcomes. We also aimed to identify any patient or hospital factors which might influence perioperative outcomes., Methods: The SPARCS database was examined for all patients who underwent a foregut procedure (specifically, either an esophagomyotomy or a laparoscopic fundoplication) between 2012 and 2014. We compared the following outcomes between institutions with and without a GI/MIS fellowship program: 30-day readmission, hospital length of stay (LOS), and development of any major complication., Results: There were 3175 foregut procedures recorded from 2012 to 2014. Just below one third (n = 1041; 32.8%) were performed in hospitals possessing a GI/MIS fellowship program. Among our entire included study population, 154 patients (4.85%) had a single 30-day readmission, with no observed difference in readmission between hospitals with and without a GI/MIS fellowship program, even after controlling for potential confounding factors (p = 0.6406 and p = 0.2511, respectively). Additionally, when controlling for potential confounders, the presence/absence of a GI/MIS fellowship program was found to have no association with risk of having a major complication (p = 0.1163) or LOS (p = 0.7562). Our study revealed that postoperative outcomes were significantly influenced by patient race and payment method. Asians and Medicare patients had the highest risk of suffering a severe complication (10.00 and 7.44%; p = 0.0311 and p = 0.0036, respectively)-with race retaining significance even after adjusting for potential confounders (p = 0.0276). Asians and uninsured patients demonstrated the highest readmission rates (15.00 and 12.50%; p = 0.0129 and p = 0.0012, respectively)-with both race and payment method retaining significance after adjustment (p = 0.0362 and p = 0.0257, respectively). Lastly, payment method was significantly associated with postoperative LOS (p < 0.0001), with Medicaid patients experiencing the longest LOS (mean 3.99 days) and those with commercial insurance experiencing the shortest (mean 1.66 days), a relationship which retained significance even after adjusting for potential confounders (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The presence of a GI/MIS fellowship program does not impact short-term patient outcomes following laparoscopic fundoplication or esophagomyotomy (two representative foregut procedures). Presence of such a fellowship should not play a role in choosing a surgeon. Additionally, in these foregut procedures, patient race (particularly Asian race) and payment method were found to be independently associated with postoperative outcomes, including postoperative LOS.
- Published
- 2018
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