Does the time of the year affect postsurgical morbidity and mortality in surgical patients?
There appears to be seasonal variation in postsurgical morbidity and mortality, warranting further investigation into the underlying causes.
Our data suggests higher rates of postsurgical morbidity and mortality related to the time of the year. Further study is needed to fully describe the etiologies of the seasonal variation in outcomes.
Englesbe et al. (Mon,) studied this question.