Could marriage improve heart surgery outcomes?

Being married could improve a person's chance of recovery following heart surgery, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Emory University found that married adults who undergo cardiac surgery are more than three times as likely as their single counterparts to survive the next three months.

The study showed that the benefits of being married can be seen up to five years after surgery, although the most obvious difference was recorded immediately after treatment.

Ellen Idler, sociologist and lead author of the study, commented on the findings, stating: "That's a dramatic difference in survival rates for single people, during the most critical post-operative recovery period."

What's more, the benefits of being married were evident regardless of gender, showing that husbands were just as proficient at care-giving as wives.

Being in a relationship is an asset when ill and incapacitated, as patients have access to round the clock care and do not have to struggle through difficult tasks alone.

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