Goal-directed laparoscopic training leads to better laparoscopic skill acquisition.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic skills training outside the operating room is becoming the standard for educating surgical residents. Because of the restrictions on the work week, it is imperative for this training to be efficient. We hypothesized that goal-directed laparoscopic training (GDLT) would result in better skill acquisition than laparoscopic training without goals (LT). METHODS: Second-year general surgery residents participated in this study. Metrics were scores that incorporated time and errors. One group of residents (LT) went through a 10- week laparoscopic training course without goals; one group of residents (GDLT) was given goals to achieve during their course. Each group practiced for the same amount of time. The tasks were peg exercise, run the rope, pattern cutting, clip/cut vessel, extracorporeal knot tying, intracorporeal knot tying, and suturing device. Statistical analysis was performed via 2-tailed Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: There were 8 residents in the LT group and 7 residents in the GDLT. The GDLT group had statistically significant higher scores on 7 of the 8 tasks compared the LT group (P < .02 to P < .0001). The GDLT group performed better in the final task, suturing device, than the LT group, but this did not reach statistical significance (451 vs 414; P = .14). CONCLUSIONS: GDLT should be used by surgeons instead of LT. Future studies need to examine whether GDLT translates into a better operative technique and outcomes.

Initial trocar placement and abdominal insufflation in laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Initial trocar placement and abdominal insufflation in laparoscopic bariatric surgery can be challenging for the novice. One technique is the use of an optical viewing trocar without prior abdominal insufflation. This investigation tests the hypothesis that this technique can be taught to novice surgeons with good results. METHODS: Patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery were included. Novice surgeons (residents/fellows) with 0-50 initial trocar placements placed the initial trocar and insufflated the abdomen in the presence of an expert surgeon (>300 initial trocar placements in morbidly obese patients). Trocar placement time was defined as the time to place the trocar into the peritoneal cavity (including infiltration of local anesthesia and incision). Insufflation time was defined as the time to insufflate the abdomen to a pressure of 10 to 15 mm Hg (including time to place tubing on trocar). Novice times were compared with expert times. RESULTS: There were 81 patients (56 by expert and 25 by novice) in this study. No bowel or vessel injury during initial trocar placement was noted. No correlation was seen between times and BMI or waist/hip circumference (P = NS). Mean expert trocar placement time was shorter than the mean novice time (25 +/- 9 versus 54 +/- 27 s; P < 0.0001); although there was no difference in mean insufflation time (expert versus novice: 16 +/- 5 versus 19 +/- 10; P = NS). The mean total time to place the initial trocar and insufflate the abdomen for the novices was 72 +/- 26 s. CONCLUSIONS: Initial trocar placement can be taught safely to novices. The technique using an optical viewing trocar without prior abdominal insufflation is effective and efficient in morbidly obese patients.

Techniques of laparoscopic gastric bypass: on-line survey of American Society for Bariatric Surgery practicing surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Various techniques have been used for laparoscopic gastric bypass. This study was performed to survey American Society for Bariatric Surgery practicing surgeons on how they perform laparoscopic gastric bypass. METHODS: An Internet-based survey was sent to all practicing surgeons in the American Society for Bariatric Surgery database by way of e-mail. The survey was divided into sections, including experience, pouch, limbs, gastrojejunostomy (GJ), jejunojejunostomy, and band. The survey results were collected from the Internet site after 4 months. RESULTS: A total of 215 surgeons responded; 98% stated they performed laparoscopic gastric bypass. The surgeons had performed an average of 423 cases in their career and 95 cases during the past 12 months. The average pouch size was 25 cm(3) and approximately one half of the surgeons (49%) measured the pouch size by the distance for the gastroesophageal junction. Almost all surgeons (99.5%) performed Roux-en-Y and not loop GJ. The average biliopancreatic limb length was 48 cm, and the average Roux limb was 114 cm. About one half of the surgeons (46%) measured the limb length with an open grasper, and few (7%) used a suture or umbilical tape. The antecolic and antegastric approaches were the more common. The percentage of those using the circular stapler, linear stapler, and hand sewing was 43%, 41%, and 21% for the GJ technique. Most surgeons (93%) routinely tested the GJ intraoperatively. The percentage of those using staple anastomosis and hand-sewn common enterotomy, double stapling, triple stapling, and hand sewing was 53%, 36%, 13%, and 1% for the jejunojejunostomy technique. Most surgeons (94%) closed at least one mesenteric defect. Also, most surgeons (95%) did not place a band around the pouch. CONCLUSION: Technical variations exist in how laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures are performed by American Society for Bariatric Surgery practicing surgeons. Additional research is needed to explore the links between the technical variations and outcomes.

Nonsurgical skills do not predict baseline scores in inanimate box or virtual-reality trainers.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic basic skills are best trained in the nonclinical setting. Box trainers and virtual-reality trainers have been shown to be useful in training laparoscopic skills. Certain nonsurgical skills may predict baseline skills in these trainers. This study tested the hypothesis that baseline scores could be predicted in inanimate box trainers and virtual-reality trainers by nonsurgical skills. METHODS: Only preclinical medical students were included in the study. All students were given a survey ascertaining if they played computer games, typed, sew, played a musical instrument, and utilized chopsticks. Students utilized a box trainer (BT) and/or virtual-reality trainer (VR). Nonparametric two-tailed Mann-Whitney tests were utilized to compare students that possessed certain nonsurgical skills versus those who did not. RESULTS: There were 18 students in the VR group and 33 students in the BT group. In the VR group, students who played computer games, typed, utilized chopsticks, or played a musical instrument had better scores and fewer errors than those who did not but this did not reach statistical significance in any comparison (p = NS). In the BT group, none of the nonsurgical skills predicted times or errors. Males performed better than females in the VR group (p < 0.001); but this gender discrepancy was not seen in the BT group. CONCLUSIONS: Nonsurgical skills do not predict baseline scores in either trainer. The gender differences in VR training need to be further explored.

Cancer in the bypassed stomach presenting early after gastric bypass.

Gastric carcinoma in the bypassed stomach after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) is rare but has been reported. The time from RYGBP to the presentation of cancer has ranged from 5 to 22 years postoperatively in the literature. A major concern with the current technique for RYGBP is the exclusion of the bypassed stomach and difficulty in surveillance. Thus, some surgeons recommend routine preoperative evaluation via endoscopy. Although most findings are benign, abnormalities are frequently discovered during screening endoscopy in bariatric surgery patients. We present a 45-year-old woman who was discovered to have disseminated gastric cancer involving the excluded bypassed stomach following an open RYGBP. Preoperative upper endoscopy was not performed. This case illustrates the importance of endoscopic evaluation prior to RYGBP and signifies the need for a high index of suspicion in order to recognize this problem at an early stage.