Does Sleep Loss Impair Surgical Performance?

In most professions, sleep deprivation leads to on-the-job mistakes. However, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, surgeons do not fall into that category.  

The study analyzed the surgeries of almost 40,000 patients who underwent 12 different types of surgery ranging from a hysterectomy to gallbladder removal. Researchers compared the data of patients who had a particular procedure performed with a well-rested surgeon against those who had the same procedure performed with a surgeon who worked after midnight on the night before the surgery. They found that the patients who had the procedure performed by a sleep-deprived surgeon were no more likely to have a negative outcome during or following the surgery.

Researchers reviewed the surgeries of more than 1,400 surgeons for the study and found no increased risk of complications, death or hospital readmission in the cases involving surgeons who worked extended shifts that limited their ability to get adequate sleep. 

"I believe what we are seeing in our study reflects self-regulation — that surgeons plan around their schedules based on their individual ability to tolerate sleep deprivation," says Nancy Baxter, MD, the study’s lead author and surgery division chief at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. "Given our findings, they seem to be doing a good job of it."

To learn more, read the entire article.