The effect of trainee involvement on surgical outcomes and complications of male infertility surgical procedures

In this study, we sought to determine the effect of trainee (resident or fellow physician) involvement in male infertility surgical procedures on patient surgical outcomes and complications. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was retrospectively reviewed for fertility surgical procedures from 2006 to 2012. The procedures included were as follows: epididymectomy, spermatocelectomy, varicocelectomy ± hernia repair, ejaculatory duct resection, vasovasostomy, vasoepididymostomy and ‘unlisted procedure male genital system’ (to capture sperm retrieval procedures). A variety of peri‐ and post‐operative outcomes were examined. Trainee and nontrainee‐involved groups were compared by Wilcoxon rank sum tests, followed by logistic regression, univariate and multivariate analyses. 924 cases were included: 309 with trainees and 615 without. The median post‐graduate trainee year was 3 (range: 0–10). Patients in the trainee‐involved cohort had higher rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, steroid usage and black race. Mean operative time was 42.5% longer in trainee‐involved cases, even after controlling for other covariates (76.2 vs. 49.5 min, p = .00). Hospital stay length was also longer in trainee‐involved cases (0.41 vs. 0.35 days, p = .02). There were no differences in superficial infections (p = 1.00), deep wound infections (p = 1.00), urinary tract infections (p = .26), or reoperations (p = .23) with or without trainee involvement.