In response to high mortality in area hospitals, surgery was restricted to emergency procedures during a five-week period  Mortality in these hospitals was found to have fallen by nearly one-third during the period  The number of deaths rose again when elective surgery (surgery that can be postponed) was resumed
It can be concluded that, before the five-week period, the risks of elective surgery had been incurred unnecessarily often in the area
The physicians planning elective surgery performed before the five-week period had fully informed the patients who would undergo it of the possible risks of the procedures.