Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-3-2025

Publication Title

JVS-Vascular Insights

Abstract

Objective: Simulation is a helpful adjunct to vascular surgery training, in which high-volume surgical experience portends better patient outcomes. Louisiana State University Health New Orleans hosts a 3-day program, the Fundamentals of Vascular Surgery (FVS) Symposium, during which vascular trainees from across the nation can participate in didactic and hands-on lessons with an emphasis on procedures less frequently performed during residency, taught by attending surgeons from various institutions. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the FVS Symposium on participant confidence in endovascular and open procedures and evaluate any differences between junior and senior level residents. Methods: FVS attendees from 2017 to 2023 were included. General surgery residents, medical students, and vascular surgery fellows were excluded. All participants completed precourse and postcourse assessments rating their confidence of each skill on a 6-point Likert scale and rated usefulness of each session. Univariable analysis was performed. Program directors were surveyed on trainee skills six months after the course. Results: From 2017 to 2023, 98 integrated vascular residents attended the course, including 59 junior and 39 senior residents. All activities were rated as useful (4.0) or better, with anatomical exposures (5.8) and one-on-one suturing (5.5) rated most valuable, followed by skills laboratory assessment (5.3), thoracic and aortic stent deployment (5.0), planning endovascular aneurysm repair (5.0), radiation safety (4.8), carotid and renal intervention (4.7), and lecture series (4.7). All participants showed significant improvement in confidence in all measures after the course. Juniors improved significantly more than seniors in anastomoses, abdominal aortic aneurysm measurements, and tibial exposures. All program directors reported at least one lasting skill improvement 6 months after the course and 85% reported modification to the training curriculum based on the course results. All attendees recommend the course and the majority reported incorporating at least one (61/63 [97%]) or multiple skills (57/63 [90%]) learned at the course into their daily activities. Conclusions: The FVS Symposium is a short, concentrated course that provides trainees with a structured opportunity to practice their skillsets under the guidance of attending surgeons in a low-stress environment. Our results show that the course improved all trainees' confidence in eight categories of cognitive, endovascular, and open vascular procedures, with juniors improving significantly more than seniors in certain categories, and lasting improvement in skill. In combination with the FVS assessment, we should continue to progress in standardizing simulation in the vascular training curriculum.

Volume

3

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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