A recent pilot study of vascular surgery patients found that patients facing surgery were more likely to quit smoking when their physician offered the right kind of assistance. The study’s investigators were particularly interested because patients who smoke often will have fewer post-surgical complications if they quit ahead of time.
While it’s somewhat common for surgeons to mention that their patients should quit smoking before an upcoming surgery, in most cases, there is no actual assistance, such as offering nicotine patches or referral to a smoking quitline. However, in this pilot study nicknamed “VAPOR,” 156 patients were offered advice from physicians for smoking cessation, nicotine replacement medications, and information about phone counseling, or usual medical care.
Researchers found that most patients wanted a personalized approach to help them quit, even during impending surgery. “We wanted one approach that would be expedient and work in every setting and every patient,” said Philip P. Goodney, MD, MS, assistant professor of surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine and affiliated faculty at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, both in Hanover, NH. “What we found was the opposite. Patients wanted to customize a smoking cessation program to fit their own needs. They would say, ‘I have been smoking a long time and have health problems. I need something to help me individually.’ Patients know a lot about their own challenges.”
The pilot study was so successful that the program was adapted for use among the researchers’ colleagues at Boston Medical Center, including outpatient surgery, says Alik Farber, MD, chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, associate chair for clinical operations, Department of Surgery at Boston Medical Center.
