Handover of anaesthesia care during cardiac surgery is associated with higher risks of patient death at both the 30-day and one-year mark, researchers in Canada report.

Specifically, handovers during complex procedures such as CABG with valve surgery and cases started during regular working hours were tied with worse outcomes.

In a multi-centre, retrospective study, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute-led team examined outcome data from 102,000 adults in Ontario who underwent CABG, cardiac valve or thoracic aorta surgical procedures between 2008 and 2019.

One-quarter of participants were women, and the mean age was 66 years.