No operation unless smokers quit

	Tweet

Some hospitals in the UK say they plan to save money by encouraging smokers to quit before undergoing routine operations.

Health officials in Norfolk plan to adopt a programme trialed in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and hope the move will improve general health and as well as cut hospital costs.

Doctors say research shows that smokers take more time to recover from surgery, are more likely to suffer complications and therefore have longer and more expensive stays in hospital.

The Norfolk Primary Care Trust (PCT), which is in debt to the tune of £50m, says smokers scheduled for routine surgery will first be referred to a smoking cessation clinic and given a target time in which to break the habit, but say anyone needing urgent surgery will not be affected.

Other health authorities are thought to be considering similar schemes.

Critics say smokers will be denied life-changing operations unless they agree to kick the habit, after it was revealed that smokers will not be given treatments such as hip and knee replacements until they try to give up.

They fear those who fail or refuse to give up could be denied treatment all together.

Critics also accuse the PCT of putting finance before the health of patients.

Last year East Suffolk health authorities barred obese patients from the operating theatre until they tried to lose weight.

Dr. John Battersby, the trust’s director of public health, in defence of the move, says that one in four people smoke, the same proportion of people coming through for surgery and there is increasing evidence that smokers have three times the number of complications as non-smokers.

He is proposing that someone who smokes be deferred for surgery, and referred to a smoking cessation clinic, with three months to quit smoking.

RELATED STORIES:
Painkillers safe for kids after tonsil surgery   Obesity and Anesthesia- Yes, There is a Connection   “Umbrella” Valve Provides Potential Alternative to Lung Surgery   Millions of cosmetic procedures done in US in 2007   Colorado man gets Web-arranged kidney transplant   New Surgery Improves Outcomes for Severe Flat Foot Deformity   French face transplant woman grateful for new life   New Surgery Shows Promise in Treatment of Scoliosis   When to Have That Joint Replacement?   Woman gets near-total face transplant in Cleveland   Studies Reveal a Need to Identify and Implement a Screening Procedure for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Prior to Surgery   ADHD Drug May Help Wake People Up After Surgery

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]