Having your elective operation later in the week increases the risk of dying, research suggests

The later in the week elective surgery takes place, the greater the chance of the patient dying, a study at Imperial College London has found.1

The research team found marked differences in death rates between days; deaths within 30 days of the operation were 44% higher if it occurred on a Friday rather than on a Monday (odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval 1.39 to 1.50), and 82% higher if it occurred at the …