Starting elective cardiac surgery after 3 pm does not impact patient morbidity, mortality, or hospital costs.

Axtell AL, Moonsamy P, Melnitchouk S, Jassar AS, Villavicencio MA, D'Alessandro DA, Tolis G, Cameron DE, Sundt TM. Starting elective cardiac surgery after 3 pm does not impact patient morbidity, mortality, or hospital costs. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. Sep 11, 2019.

Physician work hours and fatigue can impact patient safety, particularly among subspecialties focused on high-risk patients. This retrospective cohort study examined outcomes of patients undergoing nonemergent cardiac surgery occurring before or after 3pm. The investigators found no differences in mortality, complications, or length of stay and posit that this may stem from resource availability in these specialized care settings regardless of the time of day.

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