Relative hypotension and image guidance: tools for training in sinus surgery.

Objectives: To quantify the safety and efficiency of Postgraduate-Year II head-and-neck-surgery residents who perform endoscopic sinus surgery, to observe any changes that accompanied accrued experience, and to measure and correlate blood loss and temporal efficiency with anesthesia-induced relative hypotension.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: University of California, San Diego, Medical Center.

Patients: One hundred two patients with chronic rhinosinusitis operated on between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, by 3 Postgraduate-Year II head-and-neck-surgery residents.

Intervention: Endoscopic sinus surgery.

Main Outcome Measures: Operative times, blood loss, case complexity, and anesthetic components were recorded and analyzed.

Results: One hundred two patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with and without polyposis received operative management. Mean operative time, with the inclusion of injection (10 minutes) and image guidance setup (5 minutes), was 77 minutes. Estimated blood loss averaged 42 mL for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and 58 mL for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps. The mean intraoperative blood pressure was 101/65 mm Hg. No major complications occurred.

Conclusions: Endoscopic sinus surgery may be safely performed by Postgraduate-Year II head-and-neck-surgery residents by means of hypotensive anesthesia techniques and image guidance. Outcome analysis demonstrates minimal blood loss, efficient operative times, and no significant complications.