Here’s a tip that might improve the outcome if you ever have surgery

Nobody wants surgery. But if surgery is required, there’s one type of surgery you DO want…

Morning surgery.

A Duke University study reveals troubling statistics about afternoon surgeries. Rates of patient nausea, vomiting, and postoperative pain were higher in procedures that began between 3:00 and 4:00 PM.

In a CNN article about the study, Dr. Anthony Youn speculates on what’s behind those results. He says it might be due to shift changes. Surgeon fatigue could play a role.

Whatever the cause, the bottom line is the same. If you get a choice of starting times, choose early. The earlier the better.

A couple of years ago I told you about a similar study. In that one, researchers tracked colonoscopy results. On average, doctors found more polyps in the morning than the afternoon.

That’s a drop-off that could impact your health in a huge way. A missed polyp could be malignant.

But there’s one more reason to choose morning surgery. Hunger.

Nearly all surgeries require hours of pre-surgery fasting. So if you schedule an afternoon procedure, you’ll have a long, hungry start to your day.

The only thing worse than sub-par surgery, is sub-par surgery with hunger pains.

Sources:
“Why you should avoid afternoon surgery” Dr. Anthony Youn, CNN, 11/27/12, cnn.com