Comparison of the effects of coronary artery anastomosis training between senior and junior surgeons

OBJECTIVE: Many countries are facing a shortage of cardiac surgeons, who are crucial in meeting the demands of growing number of patients in need of coronary artery bypass grafting. This situation poses a serious challenge, especially in China. The purpose of this study is to determine whether cardiac surgeons are suitable for training in coronary artery anastomosis at an earlier stage in their career. METHODS: We divided 12 cardiac surgeons with no prior experience in coronary artery anastomosis into senior and junior groups for training and assessment. All trainees received training in coronary artery anastomosis for a defined period. We performed in vivo and in vitro examinations before and after training, respectively. Additionally, we assessed individual surgical performance of surgeons by using performance rating scores, including different aspects of surgical skills rated on a five-point scale. RESULTS: The post-training scores (overall, junior, senior) were significantly higher than the pre-training scores (overall, junior, and senior). We observed no differences in pre-training and post-training scores between the junior and senior groups. CONCLUSION: Senior surgeons did not had any significant advantages over junior surgeons with respect to coronary artery anastomosis in the absence of training. Junior surgeons achieved the same results as the senior surgeons after training.