Scientists reveal why heart surgery survival chances are 'better in the afternoon'
It’s almost twice as safe to have open heart surgery in the afternoon than it is in the morning, new research has revealed.
According to a study published in The Lancet, the heart is stronger and better placed to cope with surgery during the afternoon.
In a cohort study, 596 patients received aortic valve replacement surgery, with half being operated on in the morning and half in the afternoon.
Subsequent major adverse cardiac events, such as heart attacks or heart failure, were lower in the afternoon surgery group than the morning group, with just 28 cases compared to 54.
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Experts agree that the body’s biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm, affects how well people recover from heart surgery.
Dr John O’Neill, from the UK Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “Scientifically it is not hugely surprising, because just like every other cell in the body, heart cells have circadian rhythms that orchestrate their activity.
“Our cardiovascular system has the greatest output around mid/late-afternoon, which explains why professional athletes usually record their best performances around this time.
“In the morning, just after we’ve woken up, the cardiovascular system is not yet at peak performance, which partly explains why heart attacks and strokes are occur more frequently in the morning.”
Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The time of day appears to be a significant factor in the outcome from surgery, with better outcomes if your surgery is in the afternoon.
“If this finding can be replicated in other hospitals this could be helpful to surgeons planning their operating list, for non-urgent heart surgery.”
