Women are more likely to die when undergoing high-risk surgery

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-17 02:00

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Women have a higher mortality rate when undergoing high-risk surgeries compared to men, according to international researchers who say systemic biases may be contributing to the discrepancy. The team used US medical data to compare outcomes for patients undergoing high-risk vascular or heart surgeries. They say while men and women developed serious complications at similar rates during and after the surgery, women were more likely to die in the month following the surgery. The researchers say because the rate of complications appeared similar, it is likely the discrepancy is caused by something that happens after complications occur, such as symptoms of a complication not being recognised as quickly or acted on as quickly for female patients.