Safety and Outcomes of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in a General Surgery Residency Program

Background: With the escalation of surgical treatment of morbid obesity, there is a growing interest in the training of bariatric surgeons. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) gained popularity both as a first-stage approach and as a stand-alone procedure. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess detectable differences in LSG with intra-operative resident involvement. Methods: We reviewed obese patients, who had undergone LSG between January 1, 2017 and January 31, 2020. Collected data reported demographic factors, operative time, postoperative complications, and outcomes. Results: Among 313 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 94 were men and 219 were women. The procedures were performed either by an expert bariatric surgeon (group 1), or a general surgery resident (group 2), respectively in 228 and 85 cases. Mean operative time of the first group was 65.3 ± 18.8 minutes, while it was 74.3 ± 17.2 among trainees (p