Effect of smoking on intraoperative sputum and postoperative pulmonary complication in minor surgical patients

• Published in: Respiratory medicine 2004-08, Vol.98 (8), p.760-766
• Main Authors: Yamashita, Soichiro, Yamaguchi, Hiroshi, Sakaguchi, Misa, Yamamoto, Sumii, Aoki, Kenji, Shiga, Yuka, Hisajima, Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Minor Surgical Procedures; Pneumology; Postoperative Complications - etiology; Postoperative pulmonary complication; Prospective Studies; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Sputum; Sputum - chemistry; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2004.01.011

The effect of smoking for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in minor surgical patients who have an early recovery has not been evaluated. Smoking may also affect intraoperative sputum volume. We thus evaluated whether smoking had a relation to intraoperative sputum volume or PPCs in minor surgical patients. Smoking status was determined through the interviewer-assisted questionnaires. Intraoperative sputum volume was judged using the number of trials to suck up sputum from the trachea. Current and Ex-smokers were significantly more likely to have an increased intraoperative sputum volume when compared with Non-smokers (18.3% and 17.9% vs. 9.4%) although the relationship between smoking and PPCs was not demonstrated. In the multivariate models, Current and Ex-Smokers was identified as an independent risk factor of an increased intraoperative sputum volume (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6–4.6). The patients with