Smoking and postoperative outcomes in elective cranial surgery

OBJECT: The goal in this study was to assess whether a current or prior history of smoking and the number of smoking pack years affect the risk for adverse outcomes in the 30-day postoperative period in patients who undergo elective cranial surgery. METHODS: Data from the 2006-2011 American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Project were used in this study. The authors identified 8296 patients who underwent elective cranial surgery, of whom 1718 were current smokers, 854 were prior smokers, and 5724 were never smokers. Using propensity scores and age, the authors matched current and prior smokers to never smokers. Odds ratios for adverse postoperative outcomes were predicted with logistic regression. The relationship between number of pack years and poor outcomes was also examined. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, prior and current smokers did not differ from never smokers for having poor outcomes postoperatively. Similarly, in matched analyses, no association was found between smoking and adverse outcomes. Number of pack years in propensity-matched analyses did not predict worse outcomes in prior or current smokers versus never smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The authors did not find smoking to be associated with 30-day postoperative morbidity or mortality. Although smoking cessation is beneficial for overall health, it may not improve the short-term (≤ 30 days) outcome of elective cranial surgery. Thus postponement of elective cranial cases only for smoking cessation may not be necessary.