Daytime variation of in-hospital mortality and low cardiac output syndrome after pediatric cardiac surgery-a retrospective cohort study

Our study supports the selective afternoon scheduling of specific pediatric cardiac surgeries, but further investigation is needed in a multicenter cohort.KEY MESSAGESThis study reviewed 23,433 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent cardiac surgery between August 2014 and December 2021.This study suggested that afternoon surgery was associated with a lower risk of the composite outcomes of in-hospital mortality and low cardiac output syndrome.The above association was also determined in children aged 3 to 18 years, weighted between 6.1 and 8.7 kg, or more than 13 kg, and with STAT category 4-5 subgroups.The restricted cubic spline plot showed that the adjusted risk of the composite outcome decreased with a delay in the start time of surgery.Our findings support selective afternoon scheduling for specific pediatric cardiac surgery.