title: Brief preoperative smoking abstinence: is there a dilemma?
abstract: The concern that stopping smoking shortly (<8 weeks) before surgery increases postoperative pulmonary complications poses a barrier to tobacco use interventions in surgical patients. We show how this concern arose from a misinterpretation of initial studies and has remained in the medical literature despite the accumulation of later evidence. The persistence of unsubstantiated concepts is not uncommon and can have a significant impact on medical practice. Although it may take several weeks to derive pulmonary benefit from quitting, fear of an increase in pulmonary complications should not be a barrier for clinicians to help their patients quit smoking at any time before surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: David O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Warner
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors