Smoke Free, Vape Free, Surgery Ready - Transcript
Tobacco use remains the single greatest preventable cause of death and disease in Australia. Its impact goes far beyond long-term health.
It affects crucial moments like surgery and recovery. If you stop smoking or vaping before surgery, your risk of serious problem is decreased.
And this might mean faster recovery, less need for intensive care admission after your operation, less time in hospital, less need for antibiotics or strong medications, and an improvement in overall health.
Every cigarette or vape increases this risk. It is important that everyone knows about the serious consequences of smoking or vaping and the benefits of quitting.
So how does smoking or vaping affect your surgery and anaesthesia? If you continue to smoke or vape until surgery, this adds to the stress on your body during and after surgery.
Tobacco cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals and vapes can contain high levels of nicotine, as well as over 200 different chemicals, which can be harmful to health.
Smoking or vaping reduces the oxygen supply to your heart and body, which can lead to serious health and lung complications, difficulty in breathing, increased risk of wound infections, increased risk of blood clots, slower healing of wounds and bones, longer stays in hospital, admission to the intensive care unit, and sometimes, the need for life support.
You may also require higher doses of anaesthesia or numbing medication and pain reliving medication to manage your surgery and recovery.
If you stop smoking or vaping you can significantly reduce all of these risks.
If you’re a parent or guardian who smokes, quitting can reduce the risk of your child having complications.
Understanding these risks is crucial for making informed decisions about your health and the health of your loved ones.
Every week you don’t smoke or vape before surgery will help your body cope better during the procedure and speed up recovery afterwards.
Having an operation is a good reason to stop smoking or vaping. The earlier you stop, the greater your chances of a good recovery. It is equally important not to smoke or vape after the surgery, so your body repairs itself and heals.
Your best chances of quitting comes from making a solid quit plan with lots of people to support your like your family GP, medical staff, and Quitline.
Some of the health benefits when you stop smoking and vaping before surgery include: within a short period of time, your blood pressure is more stable and your heart rate is lower. Your heart is less stress, so it needs less oxygen to work properly.
Within 24 hours, the levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in your blood drops, oxygen levels increase and more oxygen reaches your heart, muscles, and skin.
By three to four weeks your body is better at fighting wound infections, helping surgical cuts to heal. Stopping smoking for six to eight weeks before surgery will give you the greatest benefit, but stopping at any time before will help.
If you’re thinking about quitting smoking or vaping, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or community health worker. They’re there to help you get started.
You can also contact Queensland’s Quitline service for support. You can call them on 13 7848 or ask your health professional to refer you.
If you don’t know how Quitline can help, you can visit the QuitHQ webpage and watch a short video.
As an anaesthetist, my role is not just to make you unconscious for the operation, but also to prepare you for surgery, making sure you have a smooth recovery from surgery and have a good quality of life afterwards.
So as you plan for surgery, in addition to quitting smoking and vaping you may also want to consider making some positive life changes, such as exercising, managing your weight, healthy eating, and practicing some relaxation techniques.
This way, you are giving yourself the best chances of getting through your surgery successfully.
