Surgeon Sleep and Patient Risk Linked to Major Events

Surgeons’ inconsistent sleep timing significantly impacts patient safety, with notable implications for surgical outcomes.

• Social jet lag of 2 hours or more increases the risk of major adverse events by 36% compared to less than 1 hour.
• Nearly 20% of surgeries (1410 out of 7117) led to major complications.

Surgeons who manage their sleep better may reduce patient risk and burnout, suggesting that addressing sleep habits should be part of preoperative protocols.

• Midsleep time variability over 60 minutes did not correlate with adverse outcomes.