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| (c) Genetic Literacy Project |
A new study suggests patients undergoing open heart surgery in the afternoon have a lower risk of potentially fatal complications than those undergoing operations in the morning. The study found that events including heart attacks and heart failure were less common among those who had undergone a valve replacement operation in the afternoon. The finding appears to be linked to the ability of the heart tissue to recover after being starved of blood supply during surgery – an effect the researchers say is influenced by the cells’ biological or “circadian” clock.
