Posted by Signature Medical Group on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 in General Surgery
If you're preparing for joint-replacement surgery and still are are smoking, you'd be wise to stop.
A preliminary study presented to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in March found that smokers had better surgical outcomes and fewer adverse events if they had enrolled in a smoking cessation program before having hip or knee replacement surgery.
The researchers recommended that orthopedic surgeons consider implementing smoking cessation programs to aid their patients.
At Signature Medical Group, we believe quitting smoking is beneficial for many reasons. You can trust that our orthopedic specialists always put our patients first. We want to deliver the best possible outcomes before and after surgery.
Another reason for smokers to quit is that previous research showed that they pay $5,000 more in hospital costs from complications before and after surgery.
The new research found that quitting smoking helps patients reduce these adverse events:
Hospital readmission
Superficial and deep surgical site infection
Deep vein thrombosis
Pulmonary embolism
Pneumonia
Stroke
Urinary tract infection
Researchers who conducted the study at New York University's Langone Medical Center emphasized that these findings represent trends toward better outcomes, and a larger study of more than 900 smokers, which is underway, is needed to make further conclusions.
Still, the doctors at Signature think the preliminary findings can help many patients.
Even if you're not a candidate for surgery, our knowledgeable orthopedic specialists want to help ease your pain from problems caused by joints, bones and muscles. We're adept at treating a variety of conditions in the hand, wrist, shoulder, neck, feet and back.
You can often see us the same day you make an appointment. And we offer convenient hours at night and on weekends.
So why wait? Make an appointment today and start to feel better.
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