Erwin Karreman

Comparing technical dexterity of sleep-deprived versus intoxicated surgeons.

Background: The evidence on the effect of sleep deprivation on the cognitive and motor skills of physicians in training is sparse and conflicting, and the evidence is nonexistent on surgeons in practice. Work-hour limitations based on these data have contributed to challenges in the quality of surgical education under the apprentice model, and as a result there is an increasing focus on competency-based education. Whereas the effects of alcohol intoxication on psychometric performance are well studied in many professions, the effects on performance in surgery are not well documented. To study the effects of sleep deprivation on the surgical performance of surgeons, we compared simulated the laparoscopic skills of staff gynecologists “under 2 conditions”: sleep deprivation and ethanol intoxication. We hypothesized that the performance of unconsciously competent surgeons does not deteriorate postcall as it does under the influence of alcohol. Methods: Nine experienced staff gynecologists performed 3 laparoscopic tasks in increasing order of difficulty (cup drop, rope passing, pegboard exchange) on a box trainer while sleep deprived (<3 hours in 24 hours) and subsequently when legally intoxicated (>0.08 mg/mL blood alcohol concentration). Three expert laparoscopic surgeons scored the anonymous clips online using Global Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills criteria: depth perception, bimanual dexterity, and efficiency. Data were analyzed by a mixed-design analysis of variance. Results: There were large differences in mean performance between the tasks. With increasing task difficulty, mean scores became significantly (P < .05) poorer. For the easy tasks, the scores for sleep-deprived and intoxicated participants were similar for all variables except time. Surprisingly, participants took less time to complete the easy tasks when intoxicated. However, the most difficult task took less time but was performed significantly worse compared with being sleep deprived. Notably, the evaluators did not recognize a lack of competence for the easier tasks when intoxicated; incompetence surfaced only in the most difficult task. Conclusions: Being intoxicated hinders the performance of more difficult simulated laparoscopic tasks than being sleep deprived, yet surgeons were faster and performed better on simple tasks when intoxicated.

Factors associated with delay in carotid endarterectomy for patients with symptomatic severe internal carotid artery stenosis: a case-control study

BACKGROUND The Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care (2008 update) recommend that patients with neurologic symptoms secondary to severe internal carotid artery stenosis undergo carotid endarterectomy within 14 days of symptom onset to prevent stroke. The purpose of this study was to identify patient and system factors associated with meeting, or failing to meet, the guideline. METHODS In this case-control study, potential study participants were identified through an electronic search of the Discharge Abstract Database. We reviewed the charts of patients who presented to our centre with neurologic symptoms ipsilateral to internal carotid artery stenosis of 70%-99% and underwent carotid endarterectomy in our centre between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2014. We performed logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with meeting, or failing to meet, the guideline. RESULTS Of the 412 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy during the study period, 219 met the inclusion criteria. Sixty-seven patients (30.6%) met the 14-day guideline. Thirty (14.2%) of the 212 patients who could be classified as case or control subjects did not access the health care system within 14 days. Once in the health care system, failure to meet the guideline was associated with a presentation of amaurosis fugax (odds ratio [OR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05-0.96 compared to completed minor stroke) and presentation to a nonemergency outpatient setting (OR 9.08, 95% CI 2.51-32.80 compared to emergency department). INTERPRETATION Improvements in meeting the goal of carotid endarterectomy within 14 days of symptom onset for severe internal carotid artery stenosis should be directed at patient and system factors. A system for rapid diagnosis and referral of symptomatic patients to an appropriate surgeon should be established.