Shocking Study: If you Drink More Than Two Alcoholic Drinks a Day you May be Twice as Likely to Die After Surgery

If you think the one, two or three glasses of vino in the evening are ok, this research may make you want to rethink your drinking.

According to a new study the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark, those who consume more than two alcoholic drinks per day are more likely to experience complications after surgery than lighter drinkers.

Lead author of the study, Marie Eliasen said that slow wound healing and infections were regarded as the most common problems associated with heavy drinking.

Eliasen and her co-authors took a look at 55 different cases on pre and post operation drinking complications during the 30 days after people went under the knife.

“High alcohol consumption increases the endocrine stress response to surgery which may worsen existing conditions and reduces blood coagulation giving an increased risk of bleeding, and slowing down wound healing processes,” she said.

The study found that people who were dependant on alcohol leading up to their surgery were twice as likely to die within the month than those who abstained from beverages, though this varied on the procedures.

A whopping 73 percent were more likely to contract a post operation infection with a staggering 80 percent more likely to have trouble breathing. 29 percent were more than likely to be admitted to intensive care.

 

Eliasen noted that a previous study into the field found that pos-op when patients abstained from drinking a month or so before surgery.

She continued stating that though it may be regarded as common sense, sometimes doctors don't bother to advise their patients to stop drinking before an operation.