Here's why you should avoid an operation on your surgeon's birthday

Operating on your birthday may prove too distracting to provide the best care for your patient. — AFP

Patients who undergo surgery on the surgeon’s birthday experience higher death rates, compared with patients who undergo surgery on other days of the year, finds an American study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

These findings suggest that surgeons might be distracted by life events that are not directly related to work, say the researchers.