|
|
|
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsAlcoholics Who Smoke May Face Early Brain AgingMost Americans Say 'No' to Smoking in Their Homes, CarsSchool-Based Smoking Prevention Programs WorkNo Drop in Teens' Use of 'Smokeless' Tobacco'Nonsmoking' Hotel Rooms May Not Fully Protect GuestsWomen Smokers More Likely to Get Colon Cancer Than Men: StudySecondhand Smoke Tied to Lower 'Good' Cholesterol in Teen GirlsKids' Smoking Influences May Change Over TimeSmoking Water Pipes Is Not a Safe Cigarette AlternativeEven Light Smoking Increases Risk of RA Among WomenBrain Stimulation Reduces Smoking CravingsU.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to New Cigarette LabelingSmoking Bans in Public Housing Could Save Dollars, Lives: CDCTo Stop Smoking, Teens Should Start MovingSmoking Raises Asbestos Workers' Cancer Risk, Study SaysSmoking on Waking Increases Risk of Lung and Oral CancersSmoking Worsens Outcomes With Advanced Colon CancerMost Doctors Don't Help Lung Cancer Patients Quit Smoking: SurveyFDA Gives Nod to Longer Use of Nicotine Patch, GumCDC Launches New Graphic Antismoking AdsGenes May Dictate Teens' Susceptibility to Heavy SmokingU.S. Abandons Effort to Place Graphic Labeling on CigarettesPeople With Mental Illness Make Up Large Share of U.S SmokersHealth Tip: Stay Busy When Quitting SmokingQuitting Cigarettes Cuts Heart Risks, Even If You Gain WeightSecondhand Smoke Linked to Early Heart Disease, Study FindsOne in Five U.S. Smokers Has Tried an 'E-Cigarette'More Evidence That Smoking Raises Breast Cancer RiskYouth Smoking, Obesity May Lead to Early DeathDrinking Can Derail Women's Efforts to Quit SmokingSmoking Rates Much Higher Among the Mentally Ill: CDCSmoking Still Takes a Heavy Toll in U.S., CDC FindsQuitting Smoking Before Cancer Surgery Best, Study FindsSmoking Cuts Life Expectancy by More Than 10 YearsWomen's Smoking Deaths at All-Time High in U.S.Many Americans Back Nicotine Restrictions in Cigarettes: SurveyPictures Speak Louder Than Words on Cigarette LabelingHeavy Smoking May Raise Odds for Lethal Bladder CancerMost Teens Support Tough Smoking Bans: SurveyHealth Tip: Talk to Kids About SmokingRecent Ex-Smokers May Fare Worse After Heart Bypass: StudyDrug May Help Women Who Quit Smoking Avoid Weight GainSecondhand Smoke Affects Many Living in Multiunit HousingSmoking Deadlier For HIV Patients Than Virus Itself: StudyMillions of Nonsmokers Exposed to Smoke From Neighbors' Apartments: ReportPricey Cigarettes, Strict Schools Help Curb Teen SmokingStop-Smoking Drug Chantix May Carry Heart Risks, FDA WarnsAny Amount of Smoking Ups Sudden Cardiac Death in WomenEven Light Smoking Boosts Women's Risk of Sudden Heart Death: StudyU.S. Task Force Urges Docs to Counsel Kids Against Smoking Questions and AnswersLinksBook Reviews |
| |
Smokers Have Higher Surgical Costs, More Complications: Study
by -- Robert Preidt
Updated: Jun 1st 2012
FRIDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers who have elective surgery have much higher hospital costs than nonsmokers, a new study finds.
Postsurgical respiratory complications are a major reason for these increased costs among smokers, according to lead author Dr. Aparna Kamath, a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, in Iowa City, and colleagues.
The researchers analyzed data on nearly 15,000 patients -- mostly white males -- who had a general surgery procedure at one of 123 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers over a one-year period. Thirty-four percent of patients were current smokers, 39 percent were former smokers, and 27 percent had never smoked.
Total inpatient hospital costs were 4 percent higher for current smokers compared to patients who never smoked. This translated into an average higher cost of about $900 for smokers. Former smokers did not have significantly higher costs than patients who never smoked.
When the researchers focused on more complex surgeries, they found that hospital costs for smokers were 6 percent higher than for patients who never smoked.
Further investigation revealed that postsurgical respiratory complications, not the length of hospital stay, accounted for the higher costs among smokers.
The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
"Although our research did not directly address this issue, evidence suggests that quitting smoking before an operation, even as little as four to six weeks prior to the procedure, improves postoperative outcomes and decreases complications in patients," Kamath said in an American College of Surgeons news release. "I think it's important to use the time before a surgical procedure as a teachable moment."
More information
The American Society of Anesthesiologists has more about stopping smoking before surgery.
This article: Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
