A study conducted by UC Los Angeles researchers found procedures performed by surgeons 50 years and older had lower mortality rates than those performed by their younger counterparts, Medical Life Sciences reports.
Researchers examined the records of 892,187 Medicare patients between the ages of 65 and 99 years. They each had one of 20 common types of emergency surgery between 2011 and 2014.
They discovered patients had lower mortality rates (6.3 percent) when the surgeon was older than the age of 50. Surgeons aged 40 or younger had the highest mortality rates at 6.6 percent.
Researchers concluded, "The findings suggest a need for more oversight and supervision of surgeons in their early post-residency careers," although the researchers write that further research is warranted.
A potential limitation of the study was the Medicare-only patient base.
