Physicians, on the other hand, must balance the risk of heart attack versus the risk of delaying elective surgery, according to Christian de Virgilio, MD, professor of surgery at the university.
The study analyzed outcomes for more than half a million people in a California database. Sixteen out of 50 patients who had surgery less than a month after a heart attack had a second heart attack within 30 days, compared to four in 50 that waited at least two months.
The risk of a second heart attack declined dramatically the longer a patient waited before having elective surgery, according to the report. Of those who waited between three and six months before elective surgery, just three patients in 50 had a second heart attack.
Read the Reuters report on the UCLA study on elective surgery.
Read more on patient safety:
–FDA Approves Respirator That Protects Against MRSA, Other Infections
–Study: Physicians Recommend Treatments They Would Not Choose for Themselves
