Patients undergoing heart surgery during waning full moon have lower death rates, a latest study states.
The researchers at Rhode Island Hospital examined the data of 210 patients, who underwent heart surgeries between January 1996 and December 2011. They found that those had surgeries during the full moon were less likely to die and also spent less time in the hospital.
"We found the odds of dying following the procedure were greatly reduced during the waning full moon, and that length of stay was also reduced during the full moon," Dr Frank Sellke, the lead researcher and chief cardiothoracic surgeon said.
The patients with successful heart surgery on waning full moon also spent less time in the hospital; 10 days during the full moon cycle versus 14 days at other times of the month, another report published in journal Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery said.
However, the reason behind this is still unclear. Some studies claim that the lunar cycle affects more than just tides. A report published in 1989 suggested that maximum deaths from heart ailments occurred during the first and last quarters of the moon's cycle. The new moon has been associated with increased risk of a ruptured aneurysm.
"Although the gravitational force exerted by the moon on oceans may be significantly powerful to produce the high and low tides," the researchers wrote, "its effect on minuscule objects such as human beings is estimated to be a rather small force by Newtonian Laws and is not well understood."
Other studies show that medical errors and mortality rates shoot-up during July, when medical students begin their residencies, for instance, and risks of anesthesia complications increase later in the day, possibly because those administering the drugs get tired, according to POPSCI.
