Vitreoretinal fellows steadily improve peel time over course of program
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Vitreoretinal surgery fellows tend to become faster at peeling over the course of their fellowship, according to a study presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
Rachel A. Downes, MD, of Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively collected intraoperative database that included 248 cases performed by eight vitreoretinal surgery fellows. An independent observer measured peel time, defined as the time from first contact with an instrument to the membrane surface until the membrane was fully separated from the retinal surface.
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The total average peel time for first-year fellows was 11.95 minutes. For second-year fellows, the average peel time was 9.32 minutes (P < .001). Second-year fellows were faster for both epiretinal membranes and full-thickness macular holes.
“In the epiretinal membrane cases, second-year fellows were about 2.5 minutes faster, and in the full-thickness macular hole cases, about 3 minutes faster,” Downes said. “Depending on your attending’s musical preferences, that’s about one song faster.”
Although the fellows became more efficient as they progressed through the program, both groups had similar outcomes in terms of anatomic success after full-thickness macular hole repair.
“There was a very high rate of primary closure after the index surgery,” Downes said.
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Downes RA, et al. Change in operative peel time throughout vitreoretinal surgery fellowship. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 17-20, 2024; Stockholm.
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