Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Strategies of smoking cessation intervention before hernia surgery--effect on perioperative smoking behavior.
Although it is now generally accepted that patients should be advised to quit smoking before surgery, the effect of low-intensive smoking cessation intervention, both on preoperative smoking behavior and on risk reduction, remains unclear. Our objective was to study the effect on perioperative smoking behavior and on postoperative wound infection of different types of low-intensive intervention before herniotomy. ⋯ Low-intensive smoking cessation intervention helps approximately one fifth of patients to stop smoking perioperatively. Patients who are reminded in addition to preoperative advice are more likely to stop or reduce smoking. Failure to stop smoking is greater if the patients are not motivated and if the CO breath test is high at the time of the preoperative advice.