The 6-year Rule in Surgery, Recorded Team Meetings, Infections +++.

The idea here is pretty straightforward. It suggests that our surgical performance goes through a cycle: starting strong, peaking, and then potentially declining. It's like after six years, we hit our stride and then face a shift—whether that’s changing how we operate or adapting new roles.

Is There Any Evidence?

I’ve looked into whether there’s any hard evidence to back this up, but so far, nothing concrete. Studies do show that experience impacts patient outcomes in various ways, but they don’t specifically confirm or deny this six-year cycle.

For instance:

• Young Surgeons: Studies like Waljee's in 2017 indicate that younger surgeons can perform just as well as their more seasoned counterparts.
• Veteran Surgeons: On the flip side, Chaudhry's 2009 study points out that surgeons with more experience tend to handle complex procedures better.
• Long-term Practice: However, there's also data suggesting that outcomes might decline after many years, as highlighted by Sultana et al. in 2022.

What Do You Think?

So, what’s your take on this? Have you noticed any patterns in your own career, or do you think the concept doesn’t hold up? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

P'Fella ❤️

Exciting news from the PlasticsFella Team!

We're kicking off fortnightly chats about all things plastic surgery and taking you behind the scenes at thePlasticsFella. We’ll also have expert guests joining us to tackle some of the trickier topics. Plus, we're publishing these sessions so we can all learn together.

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We’re really excited to share what we’ve been up to over the last couple of weeks. Our team of fellows have put together educational articles and clinical scenarios on infections of the hand.

Here’s what went live this week:

You can check on the articles below:

• Flexor Tenosynovitis: Main Article and Clinical Case
• Necrotising Fasciitis: Main Article and Clinical Case
• Septic Arthritis: Main Article and Clinical Case

What’s for Our Next Cycle?

Looking forward, we’re going to focus on Hand Trauma, and here's what to expect in our upcoming content:

• Thumb MCPJ UCL Injury
• Ring Avulsion Injury
• Seymour Fracture