Nicotine Replacement Therapy Can Halve The Risk Of Poor Wound Healing In Smokers

Researchers suggest that nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery can almost halve the risk of poor wound healing in smokers.

"It is not easy to quit smoking just before an operation," said Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute's Director.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy Could Help Some Smokers Quit Gradually
Smokers who do not want to quit right now, but are prepared to try to reduce their smoking are twice as likely to stop smoking in the long-term if they use nicotine replacement therapy.

"But people who smoke are more likely to have complications after surgery than people who do not smoke," he added.

Experts from German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) have revealed that nicotine replacement therapy can help people quit smoking and avoid complications after surgery.

It helps reduce withdrawal symptoms when people stop smoking by giving them nicotine through a patch or chewing gum.

Stand Alone Nicotine Patches Will be of No Help for Smokers, Reveals Research
Nicotine patches by themselves may not be of much use to smokers trying to quit. The patches have to be part of an overall strategy, stress researchers.

The study has shown that only 14 percent of the patients who smoked had problems with wound healing if they had nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery, compared to 28 percent of the patients who did not have nicotine replacement therapy.

"Anaesthetics and surgery put a strain on the body's oxygen supply as it is," said Professor Sawicki.

'Electronic Cigarettes' may Be Poisonous, Warns WHO
The World Health Organisation warned Friday that so-called electronic cigarettes , which claim to be a nicotine replacement therapy, could in fact prove highly poisonous.

"Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that is available in the blood even more, making it more difficult for wounds to heal - a process which requires oxygen," he added.

The study appears on informedhealthonline.org.

Source-ANI
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