The Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthesiologists have tightened up on a smoking policy that will order every elective surgery patient to try quitting smoking cigarettes before undergoing any kind of operation.
Medical practitioners will not be able to stop or postpone procedures, but president of ANZCA Dr. Lindy Roberts told the The Herald Sun that the new rule would give puffers an opportunity to sidestep the potentially dire complications that come along with being a smoker going under the knife.
Doctors hope they will be able to provide enough support to convince smokers to quit around four weeks prior to their surgery. This will slash risks of deadly problems brought on by smoking cigarettes.
"Smokers are at greater risk of complications such as pneumonia, heart attacks and wound infections," Dr. Roberts told The Herald Sun.
"When you are coming into hospital for something like an operation, it does provide you with an opportunity to think about your health more generally, and the benefits of giving up smoking for your health are in the longer term as well as relating to surgery and anesthesia," she said.
Roberts went on to say that perhaps if patients are given information about possible health risks and the measures they can take to protect their own lives, a delay on their procedure to improve their health could reap serious benefits.
"From time to time a decision may be made between the anesthesiologist, the surgeon and the patient to delay the surgery if there is something that can be improved to make them fitter for surgery."
The policy was instated after nearby Frankston Hospital started a program that gave all smokers waiting to get surgery a 'quit pack'-a kit filled with tools and advice to help smokers quit successfully.They requested all patients on the list contact a hotline to aid in leaving the cancer sticks behind.
Australian Medical Association Victoria President Dr. Stephen Parnis said that the university's move to help people quit smoking was a step in the right direction, but that doctors should tread carefully around possible discrimintation issues.
"This is not about banning people, this is about giving them the best chance to benefit," Dr. Parnis said. "When you weigh into account the procedure they need and their health, if there is a benefit to delaying the procedure then we would do that."
