New Jersey: Consider This Before Having Surgery on a Friday

I learned something new today.

A study has just been released that may cause you to consider rescheduling your surgery from a Friday to another day of the week.

This is not a New Jersey specific issue, it’s a nationwide finding. This is merely an open letter to my fellow residents of New Jersey.

It’s called “The Weekend Effect.” It evidently occurs during 25 common procedures and surgery specialties … when the surgery takes place on a Friday.

Researchers reported the results of their study in the March 4, 2025 JAMA Network Open.

The results say that patients who underwent surgery on Friday had “a significantly increased risk of complications, readmissions and mortality compared with those treated after the weekend,” according to the senior investigator Dr. Raj Satkunasivam, from the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.

I have never had surgery … however, I always try to schedule any procedure on a Friday … so that I have the weekend to recharge before coming back to work on Monday.

The research team analyzed data on approximately 430,000 patients who had surgery between the years 2006 through 2019.

Here are some of the results for those who had surgery on a Friday:

• 9 percent increase in death at 30 days following surgery.
• 10 percent increase in death within 90 days following surgery
• 12 percent increase in death within 1 year following surgery.

By comparison, pre-Friday surgical patients had a 5 percent increase in death, complications and readmission within both 30 days and 1 year of surgery. This is a combined score of the 3 areas examined above.

The researchers also noted that less experienced surgeons and reduced staffing levels on Friday may also lead to poorer results:

”Furrhermore, weekend teams may be less familiar with the patients than the weekday team previously managing care,” researchers said.

Finally, the researchers concluded that Doctors could have less access to tests and imaging in the run-up to the weekend.

The researchers emphasized that “further study is needed to understand differences in care that may underpin these observations and ensure that patients receive high-quality care regardless of the day of the week,” researchers said.

I have reported on this … NOT to alarm you … I just wanted to give you something to think about.

SOURCE: JAMA Network Open.

On a much more positive note, see below, photos of  great food items that are available in the Atlantic City area.

Bon appétit.