Trends in resident operative trauma: How to train future trauma surgeons?

Trauma is an essential content area of general surgery residency. The objective of this study was to assess trends in the operative trauma experience by general surgery residents.This was a retrospective review of available ACGME case log reports (the past 29 years) for general surgery residents.Over the study period, the total operative trauma cases as surgeon decreased from 79.6 to 29.9, (p 0.001), gastrointestinal cases decreased from 10.6 to 4.0, (p 0.001), and vascular cases decreased from 8.6 to 4.5, (p 0.001). The median number of trauma cases in which residents reported a teaching assistant role fell from 5 to 1 (p 0.001) and as a first assistant declined from 17 to 1 (p 0.001).Over the past 29 years, the operative trauma experience of general surgery residents has dramatically decreased. The decline is multifactorial but brings sharp focus on resident education in operative trauma.