This chart / table shows something interesting regarding pacer . . . :

[url=*** - Google Drive[/url]

Note except for the first period, fewer surgical patients died in the studies than non-surgical patients . . . were the studies 'frontloaded' with hospice patients?

". . . Hospice is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has six months or less to live . . . "
What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care? | National Institute on Aging

more detail soon.