Nervous About Getting Surgery? Schedule the Procedure at Lunch

Did you ever think that the time of day that your surgery was performed may have had an impact of your chances of dying during the procedure? (Frightening thought, right?) A study conducted by Canadian researchers and presented at the World Congress of Anesthesiologists (WCA) in Hong Kong, reports that people who are operated on at night are twice as likely to die than those who undergo a surgical procedure in the daytime.

The researchers divided the day into three blocks of time:

• Day – from 07:30 to 15:29
• Evening – from 15:30 to 23:29
• Night – from 23:30 to 07:29

They used the start time of the anesthesia to determine which time block a surgery would be categorized in. Included in the five years of the study were 41,716 elective and emergency surgeries that were performed on 33,942 patients in 40,044 hospitalizations. The researchers found that adjusting for the patient’s age and other factors, the patients operated on in the night were 2.17 times more likely to die than those patients whose surgeries took place in the daytime.

The study researchers were quoted in Science Daily as saying, “This study demonstrates that late day and night emergency surgery are associated with higher mortality when factoring in ASA score and patient age. Postoperative 30-day in-hospital mortality rate should include start time of anaesthesia, along with other known variables, as a risk factor.”

Researchers will continue to analyze the results of the study to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons for the significantly increased mortality, and then take corrective action to help reduce postoperative mortality rates.

Surgical errors are a serious problem

Medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in this country. That’s close to 700 people every single day. Diagnostic error lead the pack, but mistakes made during treatment – anesthesia errors, surgical errors, poor post-op monitoring – also contribute to the number of deadly acts of medical negligence each year.

Because of this, many hospitals here in South Carolina and across the country have started studying performance standards and attempting to develop a “culture of safety.” If the time of day a surgical procedure is done corresponds to the number of errors a doctor may make, this knowledge should be disseminated as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, so our local facilities can start implementing changes right away.

Doctors are not infallible, and when you suffer an injury caused by the negligent actions of a medical professional, you may be entitled to take legal action to pursue compensation for your injuries and other losses. You are welcome to contact the experienced South Carolina medical malpractice attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, who are ready to evaluate your case and fight for the compensation you deserve. Call 803-327-7800 or complete our contact form today for a free consultation.