Patients who undergo surgery during the night may be twice more likely to die than those operated on during regular working hours, a new study has claimed.
Patients operated on later in the working day or in the early evening also have a higher mortality risk, according to researchers from McGill University in Canada.
A review of 30 day postoperative in hospital mortality was carried out in the General Hospital in Canada, Medical Xpress reported.
The study evaluated all surgical procedures for the past 5 years, starting from April 1, 2010 to March 31 last year.
A database was constructed collecting variables about surgical interventions.
All elective and emergent surgical cases were included except ophthalmic and local anaesthesia cases.
Researchers found that patients operated in the night were 2.17 times more likely to die than those operating on during regular daytime working hours.
The study also found that patients operated on in the late day were 1.43 times more likely to die than those operated on during regular daytime working hours.
“Postoperative 30-day in-hospital mortality rate should include start time of anaesthesia, along with other known variables, as a risk factor,” researchers said.
