Blood clot risks increase with longer surgeries, study says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Surgery is always risky, but the longer it lasts, the more likely the patient will develop a life-threatening blood clot, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

During common operations including gall bladder removal, appendix removal and gastric bypass for weight loss, each hour of surgery increased the risk of a clot by 18 to 26 percent.

Patients on the table the longest had an increased risk of 50 percent.

These findings may spur preventative measures, such as giving patients blood thinners and limiting longer surgeries by splitting up procedures.