A campaign was recently launched by anesthesiologists warning of the dangers of smoking before surgery.
There are many risks to lighting up before a surgical procedure like a higher risk of infection, slower recovery time and increased rates of readmission.
The chair of the Ontario Anesthesiologists, Dr. Steven Bodley stated, "The action plan that we have developed is not only simple and inexpensive to implement, but it will also help patients understand the risks they face if they don't quit before surgery and the benefits if they do."
The action plan includes five basic points: identifying smokers that are scheduled for surgery, explaining to them the risks before and after the operation, referring to a smoking cessation service, gather of data about the last time the patient smoked, attempting to flush out toxins produced by smoking, and following up after the surgery.
This is something worthwhile to consider for smokers, as the complication rate for non-smokers stands at 18 percent and 52 percent for smokers.
[Via: allheadlinenews.com]
