Time of day of cardiac surgery and postoperative outcomes: exploratory findings require caution
Abstract
Time of day of cardiac surgery and postoperative outcomes: exploratory findings require cautionWe read with interest the article by Kitchen et al., which examines the association between timing of planned cardiac surgery and clinical outcomes [1].It should be praised for highlighting the usefulness of big data in identifying patterns that may inform clinical practice.However, we wish to offer several clinical and methodological considerations to aid interpretation.The authors claim a modest increase in cardiovascular mortality with surgical `knife-to-skin´time in the late morning and suggest peri-operative, organisational or circadian explanations.Knife-to-skin time represents an endpoint of a
Fields of Study & Subjects
Hospital Admissions and Outcomes
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
Cardiac
Anesthesia and Surgical Outcomes
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Anaesthesia
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 81
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1168–1169
- Publication date
- 17 February 2026
- Language
- EN