Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes

Objective:. We sought to examine whether the outcomes of patients who receive a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th differ from patients who receive surgery on flanking Fridays. Background:. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased anxiety from the provider or patient around the time of s...

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Main Authors: Sanjana Ranganathan, MBE, Carlos Riveros, MD, Michael Geng, BS, Courtney Chang, MD, Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD, Bheeshma Ravi, MD, PhD, Zachary Melchiode, MD, Siqi Hu, MD, PhD, Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA, Brian J. Miles, MD, Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc, Avery Nathens, MD, MPH, PhD, Natalie Coburn, MD, MPH, Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, CM, Angela Jerath, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FANZCA, Christopher J. D. Wallis, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Raj Satkunasivam, MD, MS
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Health 2024-03-01
Series:Annals of Surgery Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000375
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author Sanjana Ranganathan, MBE
Carlos Riveros, MD
Michael Geng, BS
Courtney Chang, MD
Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD
Bheeshma Ravi, MD, PhD
Zachary Melchiode, MD
Siqi Hu, MD, PhD
Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA
Brian J. Miles, MD
Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc
Avery Nathens, MD, MPH, PhD
Natalie Coburn, MD, MPH
Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, CM
Angela Jerath, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FANZCA
Christopher J. D. Wallis, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Raj Satkunasivam, MD, MS
author_facet Sanjana Ranganathan, MBE
Carlos Riveros, MD
Michael Geng, BS
Courtney Chang, MD
Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD
Bheeshma Ravi, MD, PhD
Zachary Melchiode, MD
Siqi Hu, MD, PhD
Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA
Brian J. Miles, MD
Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc
Avery Nathens, MD, MPH, PhD
Natalie Coburn, MD, MPH
Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, CM
Angela Jerath, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FANZCA
Christopher J. D. Wallis, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Raj Satkunasivam, MD, MS
author_sort Sanjana Ranganathan, MBE
collection DOAJ
description Objective:. We sought to examine whether the outcomes of patients who receive a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th differ from patients who receive surgery on flanking Fridays. Background:. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased anxiety from the provider or patient around the time of surgery can lead to worse outcomes. Superstitious patients often express significant concern and anxiety when undergoing a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th. Methods:. A retrospective, population-based cohort study of 19,747 adults undergoing 1 of 25 common surgical procedures on Friday the 13th or flanking control Fridays (Friday the 6th and Friday the 20th) between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019, with 1 year of follow-up. The main outcomes included death, readmission, and complications at 30 days (short-term), 90 days (intermediate-term), and 1 year (long-term). Results:. A total of 7,349 (37.2%) underwent surgery on Friday the 13th, and 12,398 (62.8%) underwent surgery on a flanking Friday during the study period. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. We found no evidence that patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th group were more likely to experience the composite primary outcome at 30 days [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.02 (95% CI = 0.94–1.09)], 90 days [aOR = 0.97 (95% CI = 0.90–1.04)], and 1 year [aOR = 0.99 (95% CI = 0.94–1.04)] after surgery. Conclusion:. Patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th do not appear to fare worse than those treated on ordinary Fridays with respect to the composite outcome.
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spelling doaj-art-53fd7d2a9f6043ccbb9a72d68e3f51c92025-01-24T09:18:25ZengWolters Kluwer HealthAnnals of Surgery Open2691-35932024-03-0151e37510.1097/AS9.0000000000000375202403000-00018Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative OutcomesSanjana Ranganathan, MBE0Carlos Riveros, MD1Michael Geng, BS2Courtney Chang, MD3Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD4Bheeshma Ravi, MD, PhD5Zachary Melchiode, MD6Siqi Hu, MD, PhD7Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA8Brian J. Miles, MD9Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc10Avery Nathens, MD, MPH, PhD11Natalie Coburn, MD, MPH12Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, CM13Angela Jerath, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FANZCA14Christopher J. D. Wallis, MD, PhD, FRCSC15Raj Satkunasivam, MD, MS16From the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX† Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA§ Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX¶ Division of Urology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA# Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada# Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada** Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada§§ Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada‖‖ Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaFrom the * Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TXObjective:. We sought to examine whether the outcomes of patients who receive a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th differ from patients who receive surgery on flanking Fridays. Background:. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased anxiety from the provider or patient around the time of surgery can lead to worse outcomes. Superstitious patients often express significant concern and anxiety when undergoing a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th. Methods:. A retrospective, population-based cohort study of 19,747 adults undergoing 1 of 25 common surgical procedures on Friday the 13th or flanking control Fridays (Friday the 6th and Friday the 20th) between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019, with 1 year of follow-up. The main outcomes included death, readmission, and complications at 30 days (short-term), 90 days (intermediate-term), and 1 year (long-term). Results:. A total of 7,349 (37.2%) underwent surgery on Friday the 13th, and 12,398 (62.8%) underwent surgery on a flanking Friday during the study period. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. We found no evidence that patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th group were more likely to experience the composite primary outcome at 30 days [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.02 (95% CI = 0.94–1.09)], 90 days [aOR = 0.97 (95% CI = 0.90–1.04)], and 1 year [aOR = 0.99 (95% CI = 0.94–1.04)] after surgery. Conclusion:. Patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th do not appear to fare worse than those treated on ordinary Fridays with respect to the composite outcome.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000375
spellingShingle Sanjana Ranganathan, MBE
Carlos Riveros, MD
Michael Geng, BS
Courtney Chang, MD
Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD
Bheeshma Ravi, MD, PhD
Zachary Melchiode, MD
Siqi Hu, MD, PhD
Kathleen Kobashi, MD, MBA
Brian J. Miles, MD
Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc
Avery Nathens, MD, MPH, PhD
Natalie Coburn, MD, MPH
Allan S. Detsky, MD, PhD, CM
Angela Jerath, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FANZCA
Christopher J. D. Wallis, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Raj Satkunasivam, MD, MS
Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
Annals of Surgery Open
title Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
title_full Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
title_fullStr Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
title_full_unstemmed Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
title_short Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes
title_sort superstition in surgery a population based cohort study to assess the association between surgery on friday the 13th and postoperative outcomes
url http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000375
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