Smoking and Anesthesia – Risks

Transcript

Cigarettes contain almost 4,000 substances, which can be cytotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. The gases you inhale in form of cigarette smoke contain nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. The smoke also consists of irritants like hydrocyanic acid, formaldehyde, ammonia and the toxic ingredient, nicotine. Nicotine affects the outer regulation of your cardiovascular system, mainly by increasing your blood pressure, your heart rate, and by making your heart muscle work harder, therefore increasing the need for oxygen. Carbon monoxide binds with the red blood cells in your blood, forming carboxyhemoglobin, leaving less red blood cells to transport vital oxygen to your body. Smoking also increases mucus production in your airway and injures the protective cells in your lungs, causing your airway to narrow and increase risk of lung infections like pneumonia. This can lead to significant breathing problems during and after anesthesia, increasing your risk for intubation and long-term ventilator need after your procedure. Smoking also affects your gastrointestinal tract, making you more prone to reflux that can lead to aspiration pneumonia. Smoking interferes with the way your body metabolizes medications, including pain medications, requiring higher doses of medication throughout surgery, and anesthesia.

The good news is, even not smoking for 24 hours prior to your procedure can reduce your risk of complications. So discuss this with your doctor and we will provide you with the best guidance based on your unique circumstances.