Critical care support of patients with nicotine addiction.
Over 500 million of the current world population will die from diseases caused by smoking cigarettes. The symptoms and signs of nicotine withdrawal are not well described in the critically ill. Since the various conditions of critical illness may lead to clinical manifestations mimicking nicotine withdrawal, describing its specific manifestations may not be easy. A few case reports suggest that nicotine replacement therapy may ameliorate nicotine withdrawal in the critically ill. However, retrospective studies have found that it may increase mortality. Despite the abundance of active smokers, there is a paucity of data describing nicotine withdrawal, and its prevention and treatment options in the critically ill. Future studies are warranted to address these issues.
Afessa
Bekele
B
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. afessa.bekele@mayo.edu
Keegan
Mark T
MT
D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016638:Critical Illness; D006801:Humans; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*
D018722:Nicotinic Agonists