Chalk it up to the Halloween season and medical myths that seemingly never die that studies like this one from the respected journal, Anesthesiology, questioning surgical outcomes still see the light of day. Literally...
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied how the time of day or night might play a role in the outcomes of some 18,600 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgeries between 1993-2006 that were performed on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., taking into account the risks of infections, heart attacks and death.
No surprise, full moons, the seasons, time of day or day of the week had no statistical influence whatsoever on the outcome of surgeries. Two legit caveats:
* Timing could be an issue, researchers say, if a patient scheduled his or her surgery at the end of a week or a long day for doctors and hospital personnel, taking fatigue into account.
* New residents join teaching hospitals in July and August, meaning your attending doctor may be a rookie and learning the ropes.
Strangely, however, our pets may be a completely, different matter, according to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Scientists discovered emergency visits for cats and dogs at the Colorado State University Veterinary Medical Center spiked upward near or during a full moon.
Anesthesiology, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 785-789, October 2009 Free Full Text Study
LiveScience.com September 23, 2009
LiveScience.com July 15, 2007