Don’t judge a doctor by his or her age

You need surgery. Would you rather have a doctor who looks like Doug Ross or Marcus Welby?

Ross was played by thirtysomething George Clooney on “ER”; Welby was played by 60-plus actor Robert Young on “Marcus Welby, M.D.” from 1969 to 1976.

Some patients, especially seniors, want their surgeons to be older. The theory is: the more experience, the better.

But others may be afraid that older surgeons won’t be up on the latest techniques or could be impaired by age-related problems of their own.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found that the age of the surgeon doesn’t determine how well the operation turns out. The study looked at outcomes from eight complex procedures, including heart surgery and cancer surgery. Researchers found the mortality rate for older patients operated on by surgeons 40 and younger was similar to the mortality rate for patients with a surgeon older than 40. As for surgeons 60 and older, their patients’ mortality rate was comparable, but only if they maintained a high workload. What does seem to be important is how many similar procedures the surgeon performed recently.

Would you like meds with those fries?

That super-size meal may not be such a bargain. Realage.com calculates that the 67 cents you pay for extra soda and fries will ultimately cost you more than $7.

Why? The excess fat and calories will probably turn to fat, meaning you’ll pay more for food, gas and medical care for the super-sized you.

Health care, by the numbers

22: Percentage of 2006 registered voters who identified health-care costs (including prescriptions) as the most important health-care issue

20: Percentage who identified lack of insurance or access to care

12: Percentage who identified Medicare

2: Percentage who identified quality of care

16: Percentage who identified “other”

42: Percentage who responded “none” or “don’t know”

— From a study of 1,003 registered voters published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Percentages exceed 100 because respondents could name up to two issues.) 34: Percentage of traffic accidents in which alcohol plays a part

13: Percentage of TV news stories about traffic accidents that mention alcohol

31: Percentage of murders in which alcohol plays a part

3: Percentage of TV news stories about murders that mention alcohol

Source: A study in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. The National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse provided funds for the research.

And one more: Your number of the day

9

That’s the number of pounds (yes, pounds) of skin cells the average person sheds per year. Those little flecks you see in a ray of sunlight beaming into a room? Yup, skin cells. Favorite food of dust mites, which can trigger asthma and hay fever? Yup, skin cells.

— From wire reports