EP586 - The Effect of Colorectal Residents on General Surgery Trainee Case Volumes

Sunday, May 10, 2026

3:03 PM - 3:08 PM ET

ePoster Presenter(s)

Emily F. Simon, MD (she/her/hers)

General Surgery Resident
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of Surgery
Cleveland, OH, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

View ePoster

Author(s)

Kayvan Barekatain, MD (he/him/his)

Resident Physician
Case Western Reserve University Hospitals
University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center
Cleveland, OH, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Marnie Abeshouse, MD

Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellow
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Cleveland, OH, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
SK

Saher-Zahra Khan, MD

General Surgery Resident
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
South Euclid, OH, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
ES

Emily Steinhagen, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Associate Professor of Surgery
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Colorectal
Cleveland, Ohio, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
Ronald Charles, MD (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor of Surgery
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Colorectal
Cleveland, OH, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
MC

Meagan Costedio, MD (she/her/hers)

Medical Director of Colorectal Surgery
Ahuja Medical Center of University Hospitals
Case Western University
Beachwood, OH, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
Michael A. Valente, DO

Associate Professor of Surgery
Cleveland Clinic
cleveland, Ohio, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Lindsay Welton, MD (she/her/hers)

General Surgery Resident
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

Kristen Westfall, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Surgery
University Hospitals/Cleveland Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

Purpose/Background: The number of colorectal surgery residents has increased over the past decade. Advanced trainees may compete with the operative experience of general surgery residents. However, it is unclear whether this concern is grounded in evidence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of colorectal surgery residents on the operative experiences of general surgery residents over time.

Methods/Interventions: We analyzed national ACGME Case Log summaries for colorectal surgery and general surgery trainees from 2007-2024. For colorectal surgery residents, we trended mean case counts over time for total abdominal procedures and anorectal cases. For general surgery residents, we examined trends in mean case counts over time for large intestine and anorectal categories. We then compared the direction and magnitude of colorectal surgery case averages to those of general surgery.

Results/Outcomes: The number of colorectal surgery residents increased from 78 to 111 (+42.3%) between 2007 and 2024, and they performed a mean of 716.1 (SD 48.4) procedures during their year of training. Total abdominal cases increased from an average of 187.3 to 234.0 (+24.9%) while anorectal cases were relatively stable (162.7 to 157.4 (-3.3%)). The number of general surgery residents also increased from 1020 to 1532 (+50.2%) between 2007 and 2024. Despite the increase in both colorectal surgery and general surgery residents, both the average number of large intestine and anorectal cases performed by general surgery residents increased over this time period (126.0 to 153.7 [+22.0%] and 26.4 to 40.0 [+51.5%], respectively).

Conclusion/Discussion: The number of colorectal surgery residents increased by 42% between 2007 and 2024. The mean number of total abdominal cases performed by colorectal surgery residents also increased with minimal decrease in anorectal cases. However, rather than negatively impacting the experience of general surgery residents, their exposure to large intestine and anorectal cases has also grown over time. Combined with the increasing number of colorectal surgery applicants over time, these findings suggest that training alongside colorectal surgery residents does not negatively impact general surgery residents' operative exposure or interest in the field. However, it was not possible to compare programs with and without colorectal surgery residents, so further investigation is needed to understand these data fully.

Colorectal and General Surgery Resident Case Volume Over Time