Research published at this year’s Euroanaesthesia meeting in Berlin (30 May-2 June) shows that both smokers and those exposed to passive smoke require more anaesthetic and painkillers to reach the same level of anaesthesia as non-smokers. The study is by Dr Erdogan Ozturk, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey, and colleagues.
Tobacco smoke consists of more than 4,000 particles with toxic and carcinogenic (cancer causing) properties, in both gas and particulate form. A limited number of studies exist indicating that smoking increases anaesthetic requirements; however the anaesthetic requirements for people exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (passive smokers) has not been studied at all. In this new study, the authors investigated whether there is a difference among smokers (S), passive smokers (PS), and non-smokers (NS) in terms of intraoperative anaesthetic and painkiller consumption.
The authors conclude: “The amounts of anaesthetic and painkiller required to ensure equal anaesthetic depth in similar surgeries was higher in active smokers and passive smokers compared to non-smokers.”
They suggest that nicotine could affect the metabolism of anaesthetic drugs in the liver, or may desensitise of the some nociceptors (nerve cells) that sense pain.
— source sciencedaily.com