Now if you’re on the operating table, likely passed out and opened up, its a fair bet that what time of day it is will have absolutely no importance to you. But maybe it should.

Recently, a study spanning over 6 years and conducted on over 600 patients, was based on recovering from heart surgery had noticed a strong correlation with time of day and rate/outcome of recovery.

These patients who underwent a heart valve replacement had shown an interesting relationship with a humans circadian rhythm. Those who underwent surgery in the afternoon had much better results and recovery than those in the morning. Additionally, in the following 500 days after the surgery, patients who were operated on during the afternoon were half as likely to have a major cardiac event such as myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack) or acute heart failure.

The team conducted a second study in which a total of 88 random patients were put into two groups, morning and afternoon. The results showed that those in the afternoon had lower levels of myocardial ischemia.

In a further examination of these findings in an attempt to find a cause, an article from Scientific American states, “The researchers isolated heart tissue samples from a subgroup of 30 patients from the randomized controlled trial. In laboratory tests, tissue from afternoon surgeries more quickly regained its ability to contract when researchers imitated the process of the heart refilling with blood as surgery concludes.”

While operating in the afternoon may have its benefits, doctors say that altogether abandoning surgery in the morning is simply out of the question. However, other practical applications of this are being studied, such as how it may affect cancer treatment in patients and whether or not circadian rhythm affects a variety of medical procedures. But until then, let the anesthesia kick in and enjoy the operation.

What do you think will be the next application of circadian rhythm or other anatomical and biological features?

Want to find out more? Sources below.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/10/26/surgery-safer-afternoon-bodys-circadian-rhythm-study-suggests/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-heart-surgery-may-be-better-in-the-afternoon/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/heart-surgery-afternoon-morning-safety-post-illness-recovery-circadian-rhythm-body-clock-a8023736.html

Australian and PNG doctors and nurses performing surgery in Operation Open Heart. Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea. Picture by Rocky Roe/AusAID

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