Everyone's Health

Surgeon, Focus Or Experience

A study out of the University of Michigan Health System says patients should be less concerned about the age of their surgeon and more focused on stuff that really counts, like how often they are in the operating room.

Writing in this month's issue of the Annals of Surgery, lead author Dr. Jennifer F. Waljee said that surgeons over the age of 60 who maintained high surgical caseloads – that is, they stayed busy – were as effective as peers 10 to 20 years younger.

Conversely, in some complex cardiovascular and cancer surgical operations, older surgeons with low surgical volumes had higher patient mortality rates than their younger counterparts.

The study looked at 460,738 Medicare patients who underwent one of eight relatively common surgical procedures. With the exception of three procedures – pancreatectomy, coronary artery bypass grafting and carotid endarterectomy – patient mortality rates varied little, even among the youngest surgeons – those under the age of 40.

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