Does surgeon fatigue influence outcomes after anterior resection for rectal cancer?

Surgeon Fatigue: Impact of Case Order on Perioperative Parameters and Patient Outcomes

“…In a Canadian analysis Schieman et al classified surgeons as fatigued if they billed for clinical work after 10 p.m. the previous day, and then compared outcomes in patients treated with anterior resection for rectal cancer by fatigued and nonfatigued surgeons. 17 They found no difference in intraoperative, postoperative or long-term complication rates between the groups and no difference in local recurrence rates. Conversely, Halldorson et al found that patient/graft survival rates were significantly higher if the surgeon had more than 2 days between liver transplants (92.5%/91.2% vs 82.8%/81.5%, p Ͻ0.003/0.004).…”

Differences in Public Belief and Reality in the Care of Operative Patients in a Teaching Hospital

“…No statistically significant differences between fatigued and rested surgeons were detected. 8 These studies argue that fatigue does not affect surgical outcomes negatively; however, no prospective study has been conducted comparing the outcomes of any procedure with a fatigued and rested surgeon. Haynes et al specifically addressed resident fatigue and postoperative complications in a retrospective study of 6371 cases.…”

Is It Safe? Appendectomies at Night at a Low-Volume Center

“…Appendecto- mies relative to other possible emergency procedures are simpler cases, and their performance may not be affected greatly by fatigue, especially when considering that more complex cases have also not been shown to be affected significantly by fatigue. 7 Although a low-volume institution might be limited in the number of patients treated, perhaps they are better equipped to manage the patient perioperatively, and this factor contributes to the decreased complication rate in our findings. Of note, the largest number of cases was performed between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM, presumably as first cases, which might indicate that when feasible, many surgeons elect to operate with the full complement of services available during regular-duty hours.…”