Surgery 'More Risky' Towards End Of The Week

A report in the British Medical Journal has suggested that people who have surgery towards the end of the week are more likely to die than those who have operations earlier in the week.

The report, which looked into non-emergency operations in England, said the overall risk of death from such planned procedures remains low.

Researchers from Imperial College London collected data from all non-emergency surgery carried out by the NHS in England between 2008 and 2011. Around four million operations were undertaken, with experts finding more than 27,000 deaths within one month of surgery. This puts the average risk of death at 0.67%.

The report also found that the risk of death was lowest when surgery was carried out on a Monday, and increased each day before peaking at the weekend. It reveals patients who have their operations on a Friday are 44% more likely to die than those who have surgery at the beginning of the week. When it came to the weekend, the risk of dying was 82% greater than on a Monday, however researchers cautioned that very few operations currently take place at the weekend.

Dr Paul Aylin, lead author of the study said: "The first 48 hours following a procedure is most critical and when things can go wrong, such as bleeding and infections. If you don't have the right staff, this is likely to contribute to things being missed.

"If I were a patient I would take comfort from the fact the overall death rate is low, but if I were to have an operation towards the end of the week I would be interested in whether the hospital had the appropriate services to look after me throughout my recovery, including at the weekend."

He added that the higher risk of death could be due to fewer doctors, nurses and many non-clinical staff being available on Saturdays and Sundays.

(JP/IT)