Safety of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in a Residency Training Program

Abstract

Over the past decade, endoscopic sinus surgery has become one of the most frequently performed operations in otolaryngology. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised about the safety of this procedure in a residency training program. To address this issue, we carried out a retrospective review to assess the complications of endoscopic sinus surgery performed by otolaryngology residents under close supervision. We reviewed the medical records of 597 patients who had undergone 719 operations performed by residents in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Southern California–Los Angeles County Medical Center and at the University Hospital between June 1988 and December 1995. Most of these procedures were performed by junior residents under the supervision of either a senior resident or faculty member. We found that the incidence of minor and major complications was 12.2 and 0.4%, respectively. The most common minor complications were vascular. The only major complication was excessive bleeding that required transfusion. There were no cases of blindness, cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, or death. We conclude that endoscopic sinus surgery in an otolaryngology residency training program is a relatively safe procedure, especially when performed under faculty supervision.