Increased Surgeon Stress Linked to Reduced Surgical Complications
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2025 -- Increased surgeon stress at the beginning of a surgical procedure is associated with reduced major surgical complications, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in JAMA Surgery.
Jake Awtry, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study in 14 surgical departments within four university hospitals to examine whether surgeon physiological stress, as assessed by sympathovagal balance, is associated with postoperative complications. The analysis included 793 surgical procedures performed by 38 attending surgeons.
The median surgeon heart rate was 88 beats per minute, and the median low-frequency to high-frequency ratio was 7.16 and 1.00 before and after normalization, respectively. The researchers observed an association for increased surgeon sympathovagal balance during the first five minutes of surgery with significantly reduced major surgical complications (adjusted odds ratio, 0.63; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.41 to 0.98; P = 0.04); associations were not seen with reduced intensive care unit stay (adjusted odds ratio, 0.34; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.11 to 1.01; P = 0.05) or mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.18; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.03 to 1.03; P = 0.05).
"The results suggest an association between human factors elements and patient outcomes while highlighting the complex association between physiological stress and surgeon performance," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2025
Read this next
Toe Transfers Outperform Digit Replantation
THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 -- Toe transfers outperform equivalent digit replantations following digit amputations, according to a study published in the August issue of Plastic...
Surgical Interventions Compared for Children, Teens With Kidney Stones
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13, 2025 -- In two studies published online July 22 in JAMA Network Open, surgical interventions are compared for children and adolescents with kidney...
Risk for Incident CVD Increased for Women Who Reported Experiencing Stalking
MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 -- Women who report experiencing stalking and obtaining a restraining order have an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.