Smoking
Smoking
Our aim is the same as yours: to get you safely through your operation and experience a smooth and quick recovery.
SMOKING INFORMATION LEAFLET DOWNLOAD
There are many reasons to stop smoking before your operation, The benefits include:
Smoking and surgery
Nicotine from cigarettes makes your blood stickier and reduces the flow of blood around your body. It also reduces the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry increasing the stress on your body with surgery. Therefore stopping smoking before surgery reduces the work your heart and lungs have to do during and after an operation, thereby improving your chances of a smoother and speedier recovery.
By stopping smoking you can reduce the risk of any postoperative complications by 60% and wound problems by 70%.
The best results occur if you stop at least 4-6 weeks before your operation but it’s never too late, even a few days before your operation is beneficial.
HOW DO I STOP?
There are many techniques to stopping smoking, but the commonest methods are:
- Cold Turkey: Choosing a day and just stopping.
- Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): This includes patches, chewing gum, lozenges, inhalators etc. These treatments provide nicotine, the addictive part of cigarettes, to allow you to wean yourself off cigarettes over time. You can receive advice from your local stop smoking services or your GP.
- Bupropion: This is a tablet which can be prescribed by your GP/Stop smoking services and works by blocking the nicotine sensors in your brain to block the enjoyment you receive from smoking.
- e-Cigarettes: It is unclear wjether e-cigarettes pose a risk to your health. However current evidence suggests they are safer than smoking tobacco. They are used like NRT to help you to wean off cigarettes
WHERE CAN I GET HELP?
People are four times more likely to quit if they have support from trained stop smoking advisors. These can be located online or via your GP. Stopping before surgery also provides you with an opportunity to stop smoking for good, which provides longer term benefits for your health.
Find your local services via: https://www.quitwithhelp.co.uk/support-to-quit-smoking
TOP TIPS
- Set a date to stop, don’t leave it a week.
- You will achieve the most benefit if you can stop 4-6 weeks or more before surgery. However, if your surgery is sooner, stopping any time before surgery is beneficial.
- Let friends and family know your plans so that they can support you.
- Avoid temptation, throw away cigarettes/lighters/ashtrays.
- Change your habits to avoid temptation.
- Tell yourself you’re a non-smoker.
- Take one day at a time.
- Never have the odd one.
- Congratulate yourself.
- Use local support services!
USEFUL LINKS
NHS: http://www.nth.nhs.uk/services/stop-smoking-service/
NHS top tips: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/10-self-help-tips-to-stop-smoking/
BHF: http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/risk-factors/smoking
BTS: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/quality-improvement/clinical-resources/smoking-cessation/