Yes!  There have been multiple studies conducted strictly focusing on this question.  Everyone knows that smoking is horrible for our overall health, but what people might look past is the impact that the habit has on someone’s recovery that has undergone Anesthesia and/ surgery.  The following will disclose some of the evidence found through many years of research and medical studies.

In 1992, the American Journal of Medicine published an article written by P. Silverstein stating that the nicotine in tobacco products causes a significant increase in the risk of developing blood clots for anyone undergoing any kind of anesthesia and/ surgery.  The reason that blood clots are more common in tobacco users is because there is a decrease in blood flow secondary to the blood vessels being constricted along with an increase in platelet adhesiveness making the blood stickier.  You may be asking yourself, why this affects someone that underwent surgery more so than someone that has not.  Good question.  Regardless of what kind of surgery, people become less active secondary to increased pain levels, decreased endurance, and/ side effects from medication along with other reasons.  Decreased activity means decreased overall circulation throughout the body.  Decreased circulation in a nonsmoker already has an increased risk of blood clots.

In 1999, an article was published in the American Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia stating the effects of tobacco on the cardiac and pulmonary systems.  The combination of the tobacco smoke related toxins causes myocardial hypoxia, meaning increased demand on the heart because the heart is not receiving enough oxygen-rich blood for a short period of time secondary to inadequate blood flow through narrow arteries.  People with myocardial hypoxia have a higher risk of having a heart attack and/ stroke.   Preoperative smoking increases these risks.

According to Paul Ting, smoking increases mucus production and narrowing of the bronchial/airway in the lungs making it difficult to clear out the secretions.  There is a significant increase in the risk that a lung could collapse secondary to the inability to move air throughout the lung properly.  After having surgery, people are not as active and less likely to taken in deep breaths in order to move air throughout the lower lobes of the lungs, increasing their chances of pulmonary complications such as: pneumonia, respiratory distress, etc.

An important note for people undergoing surgery involving any kind of bone structure; according to an article in the American Journal of Epidemiology, smoking and other tobacco products inhibits bone production causing a decrease in bone density.  This is significant for anyone post surgical because smoking increasing the risk of not healing appropriately and could lead to future complications within that surgical site.

The healing process and the final outcome of spinal surgeries, especially procedures involving bone grafts, are extremely effected by the use of tobacco.  The bones are depleted of nourishments that are needed for proper bone production provided by our circulatory system secondary to vasoconstriction (narrowing of the vessels).  Statistics have shown that the success rate for spinal surgeries for individuals that do not use tobacco products before/after the procedure is 80-85%.  For individuals that use tobacco, their success rate decreases significantly to below 70%.

In summary, smoking or using other tobacco products either pre/post op could have some significant consequences in all phases of healing and quality of life.

(All previous information and references came from the Livestrong.com website and was written by several authors.  Please refer to the website if you have any further questions about the effects of smoking.)

Kelli Warren is a Physical Therapist Assistant who works directly with the owner of Spectrum Rehabilitation at 4020 palmer Park in Colorado Springs, CO and is specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine. She is also one of Colorado Springs only Certified Kinesio Tape Practitioners.