how does smoking affect my surgery and REcovery?
Smoking damages the lungs, which makes it more likely you will have lung problems during and after surgery like coughing and pneumonia. Smoking also damages your heart and circulation, which increases risks for problems like a heart attack and makes it more likely that you will develop problems like wound infections. If you had surgery on your bones (like a fracture repair), smoking also makes it more difficult for these bones to heal.
How long before Surgery Should I quit smoking?
As long as possible! The harmful effects from cigarettes begin to diminish around 12 hours after your last cigarette. So even not smoking on the morning of surgery helps - just like you don’t eat on the morning of surgery, don’t smoke. Studies show that just quitting on the morning of surgery reduces your chances of having a wound infection after surgery. Quitting for a longer time is even better - other studies show that it takes up to four weeks of not smoking to fully reduce your risk of lung problems.
I’ve wanted to quit smoking for a long time but haven’t succeeded - IS surgery a good time to quit FOR GOOD?
It can be hard to quit smoking at any time. The good news is that many smokers who quit for surgery say they have no cravings for cigarettes in the hospital and that quitting is actually easier around this time. And just having surgery will more than double your chances of quitting for good. So if you want to quit, having surgery is a great time to try - and succeed!
I’m not ready to quit for good - does it do any good to just quit for a short time around surgery?
Yes! For those who are not ready to quit for good, we recommend that they “quit for a bit” - don’t smoke from the morning of surgery until one week after surgery. This gives your body a good chance to start recovering without the burden of cigarette smoke, and reduces you chances of having problems.
IS it safe to use nicotine replacement (like patches and gum) to help quit smoking for surgery?
Nicotine patches or gum can double your chances of successfully staying off cigarettes and are available without a prescription. Studies show that nicotine replacement is safe and effective to help surgical patients quit smoking. There are a few surgeries like plastic surgery where your doctor may not want you to use nicotine replacement, so ask them. There are also other medicines that can help you to quit, but a doctor needs to prescibe them.
what about E-cigarettes (Vaping)?
E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and so may be better for you than regular cigarettes. But e-cigarettes delivery many different chemicals into your lungs which may be harmful, and we don’t know what the long-term effects might be. If you can, it’s probably better to stay of e-cigarettes around the time of surgery. However, if you use e-cigarettes as an aide to not smoking regular cigarettes, it’s probably better to keep using e-cigarettes rather than start using regular cigarettes again.
