Staged microvascular anastomosis training program for novices: transplantation of both kidneys from one rat donor

Background Rat renal transplantation is an essential experimental model and requires greater microsurgical skills. Thus, training novices to perform quick and reliable microvascular anastomosis is of vital importance for rat renal transplantation. In this study, we developed and evaluated a staged microvascular anastomosis training program for novices, harvesting and transplanting both kidneys from one rat donor. Methods Five trainees without any prior microsurgical experience underwent a training program in which the goals were staged according to difficulty. Each trainee had to achieve satisfactory results as evaluated by a mentor before entering the next stage. Rat renal transplantation was accomplished by end‐to‐end technique with a bladder patch. In the intensive rat renal transplantation stage, the trainees required an average of 20 independent attempts at isotransplantation as final training assessment. Results After 2 months of intensive practice, all trainees had achieved stable and reproducible rat renal transplantation, with a satisfactory survival rate of 85.9% at postoperative Day 7. The total mean operative time was 78.0 minutes and the mean hot ischemia time was 26.2 minutes. With experience increasing, the operative time for each trainee showed a decreasing trend, from 90‐100 minutes to 60‐70 minutes. After 20 cases, the mean operative time of the trainees was not statistically significantly different from that of the mentor. Conclusion Harvesting and transplanting both kidneys from one rat donor after a staged microvascular anastomosis training program is feasible for novices without any prior microsurgical skills.