The costs of health care directly related to smoking in the United States are estimated to be in the range of $97 billion. This figure typically takes into account treatment for ailments such as lung cancer and emphysema, with the combined costs representing more than 10% of all U.S. medical expenses. New research is adding to this total estimated health cost by also assessing secondary effects, such as how smoking affects recovery time from other medical procedures.

A 2011 metastudy published in The American Journal of Medicine, “Smoking Cessation Reduces Postoperative Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” examined six randomized trials and 15 observational studies to look at the effects of preoperative smoking cessation on postoperative complications.

The study’s findings include:

• The studies demonstrated decreased likelihood of postoperative complications in patients who ceased smoking prior to surgery.
• For the six randomized trials, on average the relative risk reduction was 41% for postoperative complications.
• Each week of cessation prior to surgery increased the magnitude of the decrease by 19%. A significant positive effect was noted in trials where smoking cessation occurred at least four weeks prior to surgery.

The United States sees an estimated 20 million general surgeries every year, and the current smoking rate across the population is about 20%. Given those numbers, the study’s findings have significant implications for how the total societal impact of smoking is measured.

Tags: cancer, medicine, metastudy