Surgeons, like elite athletes, may produce better outcomes if they are displaying higher physiological stress in the early stages of surgery, a study shows. 

US authors found that the patients of surgeons who had increased sympathovagal balance in the first five minutes of operating had a reduced chance of major surgical complications.

However, higher stress among surgeons was not associated with reduced time in ICU or mortality, the Harvard University authors said. 

Using chest monitors, they measured the heart rate variability in 38 French surgeons of various specialties during the first five minutes of almost 800 procedures