Trends in Pubmed-Indexed Research Publications in Matched Integrated Cardiothoracic Applicants: Yearly Analysis of the 2017-2024 Match Cycles

M. O'Connor¹, C. Stauber¹, M. Hoyos¹, N. Venardos², M. Ponce¹, C. M. Mery², M. Balde¹, C. D. Fraser², J. Grimm¹, A. Well¹, G. John. Arnaoutakis^3
1Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas ²Department of Surgery & Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, Austin, Texas ³University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas

Purpose: Research exposure and the authorship of peer-reviewed manuscripts play significant roles in residency applications. This study seeks to assess the indexed research productivity of successfully matched integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency (I-6) applicants and explore annual variations across multiple match cycles.

Methods: An online review was conducted in May 2024 to identify all applicants who matched into an I-6 cardiothoracic program in the United States between 2017 and 2024. Applicants were identified through each program’s official website resident roster and cross checked through social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn. Candidate name, medical school, year of match and gender were recorded. Publications before match year of applicants were queried in PubMed biomedical literature database, excluding abstracts, commentaries, and editorial reviews. Number of publications, publications on cardiothoracic topics and first authorship were recorded. Journal ranking was determined through Scimagojr, with top-quartile journals classified as Q1. Descriptive and univariate trend analyses were performed.

Results: Data was successfully obtained from 34 (100%) out of 34 ACGME accredited I-6 programs. A total of 336 matched applicants spanning the 2017 to 2024 match cycles were screened. 116 (34.5%) were female and 23 (6.8%) international medical graduates (IMG). Median number of total publications was 5.0 [IQR:2.0-9.0], first author publications was 2.0 [IQR:1.0 – 4.0], cardiothoracic related publications was 2.5 [IQR:1.0-6.0], first author cardiothoracic related publications was 1.0 [1.0-3.0], and Q1 publications was 2.0 [IQR:1.0-4.0]. There has been a significant trend on increased publications among matched applicants from 2017 to 2024. Linear regression revealed a per-year 19.20% (95%CI:11.71%-27.19%) increase in total publications (p < 0.001), 20.76% (95%CI:11.50%-30.78%) increase in first author publications (p < 0.001), 16.92% (95%CI:7.70%-26.93%) increase in cardiothoracic related publications (p < 0.001), 15.42% (95%CI:6.28%-25.36%) increase in first author cardiothoracic related publications (p < 0.001,) and 9.46% (95%CI:0.65%-19.05%) increase in Q1 publications (p < 0.001) (Figure 1).

Conclusion: Volume, cardiothoracic centered and higher quality research publications among matched integrated cardiothoracic surgery applicants has increased from 2017 to 2024. This analysis emphasizes the increasing significance of research in the match process and can provide valuable guidance for prospective applicants.

Identify the source of the funding for this research project: NA