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Pre-Surgery Days an Opportune Time to Quit Smoking

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(NewsUSA) - Anyone who has had surgery or has a relative who has had surgery knows many of the pre-op drills by heart: no aspirin a week or more before surgery to prevent unnecessary bleeding, no food or drink the night before to prevent adverse reaction to anesthetics, and no jewelry in the operating room to eliminate risks of unintentional electrical shocks or interference with sensitive equipment.

What may be less well-known is that those patients who abstain from smoking in the days leading up to surgery see better outcomes than those who do not abstain. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, smokers who stop even a day before surgery will heal faster after their surgery and improve their chances of recovering without complications. For this reason, don't be surprised if information about smoking cessation becomes a commonplace part of the pre-surgery patient briefing.

The ASA has charged its new Smoking Cessation Initiative Task Force to develop a practical, effective program to train all of its 42,000 members in helping their patients to quit smoking. For patients and the public at large, the organization offers the following reminders:

* If smokers take advantage of the opportunity to quit, they will benefit not only in the short term but will literally add years to their lives. The average smoker gains six to eight extra years after quitting.

* Based on data collected in the late 1990s, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking.

* Of the 54 million smokers in the U.S., 38 million will see a doctor at least once a year. About 4 million will have surgery this year.

* Many people find that surgery is a good time to permanently quit smoking. Patients will not be allowed to smoke while in the hospital anyway, and there are often many resources available, from counseling sessions to nicotine patches, gums and lozenges to ease withdrawal symptoms.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists has been an instrumental force in patient health since 1905. An estimated 40 million anesthetics are administered in the United States each year. For more information, visit the ASA Web site at http://www.asahq.org.