Outcomes of nonemergency cardiac surgery after overnight operative workload: A statewide experience

Cardiac surgeons experience unpredictable overnight operative responsibilities, with variable rest before same-day, first-start scheduled cases. This study evaluated the frequency and associated impact of a surgeon's overnight operative workload on the outcomes of their same-day, first-start operations.

A statewide cardiac surgery quality database was queried for adult cardiac surgical operations between July 1, 2011, and March 1, 2021. Nonemergency, first-start, Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality operations were stratified by whether or not the surgeon performed an overnight operation that ended after midnight. A generalized mixed effect model was used to evaluate the effect of overnight operations on a Society of Thoracic Surgeons composite outcome (5 major morbidities or operative mortality) of the first-start operation.

Of all first-start operations, 0.4% (239/56,272) had a preceding operation ending after midnight. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of morbidity and mortality was similar for first-start operations whether preceded by an overnight operation or not (overnight operation: 11.3%; no overnight operation: 11.7%, P = .42). Unadjusted rates of the primary outcome were not significantly different after an overnight operation (overnight operation: 13.4%; no overnight operation: 12.3%, P = .59). After adjustment, overnight operations did not significantly impact the risk of major morbidity or mortality for first-start operations (adjusted odds ratio, 1.1, P = .70).

First-start cardiac operations performed after an overnight operation represent a small subset of all first-start Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk operations. Overnight operations do not significantly influence the risk of major morbidity or mortality of first-start operations, which suggests that surgeons exercise proper judgment in determining appropriate workloads.