Colon surgery followed by higher risks of complications in smoker patients

A new study proves that colorectal surgery is followed by higher risk of complications and death in patients who smoke. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York found that smoking raised the risk of complications such as pneumonia and other infections by about 30%. “Anecdotally, we know that many patients don't take the opportunity to quit or join a smoking cessation program before surgery”, study lead author Dr. Fergal Fleming, an assistant professor in the department of surgery, said in a university news release. “We want to find out what motivates patients, how can we make them a major player in their own care, and how can we as physicians do a better job of explaining issues like this to patients”, Fleming explained. This study is published in the journal Annals of Surgery. Current smokers who were younger than ex-smokers and never-smokers had the highest rates of pneumonia and infection, were more likely to require additional surgery and had much longer hospital stays, the researchers said.