Anesthesiology ACGME case minimums
Residents in Anesthesiology have a published ACGME minimum in 15 of 21 case categories, and the largest single minimum is 100. Each row below cites the ACGME requirement it was read from; the minimums are effective July 1, 2026.
By Chris, CA-1, anesthesiology
Anesthesiology minimums by category
| Category | Resident credited with the case |
|---|---|
| patients younger than 12 years of age undergoing surgery or other procedures requiring anesthetics | 100 |
| Within this patient group, 20 children must be younger than three years of age, including five younger than three months of age. | 20 |
| including five younger than three months of age | 5 |
| patients who are evaluated for management of acute, chronic, or cancer-related pain disorders | 20 |
| patients scheduled for evaluation prior to elective surgical procedures | — |
| patients immediately after anesthesia, including direct care of patients in the post-anesthesia-care unit, and responsibilities for management of pain, hemodynamic changes, and emergencies related to the post-anesthesia care unit | — |
| critically-ill patients | — |
| patients undergoing vaginal delivery | 40 |
| patients undergoing cesarean sections | 20 |
| patients undergoing cardiac surgery | 20 |
| The care provided to 10 of these patients must involve the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. | 10 |
| patients undergoing open or endovascular procedures on major vessels, including carotid surgery, intrathoracic vascular surgery, intra-abdominal vascular surgery, or peripheral vascular surgery | 20 |
| patients undergoing non-cardiac intrathoracic surgery, including pulmonary surgery and surgery of the great vessels, esophagus, and the mediastinum and its structures | 20 |
| patients undergoing intracerebral procedures, including those undergoing intracerebral endovascular procedures | 20 |
| patients for whom epidural anesthetics are used as part of the anesthetic technique or epidural catheters are placed for peri-operative analgesia | 40 |
| patients undergoing procedures for complex, immediate life-threatening pathology | 20 |
| patients undergoing surgical procedures, including cesarean sections, with spinal anesthetics | 40 |
| patients undergoing surgical procedures in whom peripheral nerve blocks are used as part of the anesthetic technique or peri-operative analgesic management | 40 |
| patients with acute post-operative pain, including those with patient-controlled intravenous techniques, neuraxial blockade, and other pain-control modalities | — |
| patients whose peri-operative care requires specialized techniques | — |
| patients undergoing a variety of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures outside the surgical suite | — |
An em-dash means the ACGME publishes no minimum on that row — not a minimum of zero.
Anesthesiology · ACGME specialty 040 · minimums effective July 1, 2026.
Capnolog counts these live for anesthesiology and neurological surgery; other specialties are reference only.
What counts toward a minimum?
- Residents log cases into categories the ACGME defines, not by procedure code.
- Every number is a count in one column, “Resident credited with the case”.
- 3 rows are drawn from a larger row: those cases count toward that row too, never on top of it.
- 6 rows carry no published number and show an em-dash, which is not a minimum of zero.
- The Review Committee for Anesthesiology sets these requirements.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Program Requirements, July 1, 2026
- Review Committee FAQ
Capnolog is independent of the ACGME. Where a number here and the ACGME's own document disagree, the document is right.
Related specialties
- Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology case minimums
- Pediatric Anesthesiology case minimums
- Obstetric Anesthesiology case minimums
- Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine case minimums
- Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine case minimums
- Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology case minimums
- Pain Medicine case minimums