A Pilot Study of Tobacco Screening and Referral for Smoking Cessation Program among HIV-Infected Patients in France.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of tobacco smoking is high among patients living with HIV, supporting the need for effective targeted interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All current smokers at our outpatient HIV clinic were invited to participate in a smoking cessation program. RESULTS: Of the 716 patients living with HIV, 280 (39%) reported active smoking and were younger, more recently HIV infected and more frequently infected due to intravenous drug use (IDU). One hundred forty-seven (53%) smokers agreed to participate in the smoking cessation program and had a higher Fagerström score and were less likely IDU. During follow-up, 41 (28%) smokers withdrew from the program. After 6 months, 60 (57%) of the 106 smokers who completed the intervention had stopped tobacco smoking and were more likely to use varenicline, adjusting for a history of depression. CONCLUSION: Our smoking cessation program was feasible. However, strategies to reach and retain in smoking cessation program specific groups such as IDU are needed to improve the smoking cessation cascade.

Guidelines on smoking management during the perioperative period.

Smoking is a public health problem of particular importance during the perioperative period, since it exposes patients scheduled for surgery to risk increases of 20% in hospital mortality and 40% in major postoperative complications. In addition, current smoking increases almost all specific surgical complications. The perioperative period offers a genuine opportunity for smoking cessation. The rate of preoperative smoking cessation can be increased significantly by offering behavior management and the prescription of a nicotine substitute before any scheduled surgical intervention. Preoperative smoking cessation should be routinely recommended independently of the timing of the intervention, even though the benefits increase in proportion with the length of cessation. All professionals of the care pathway (general practitioners, surgeons, anesthetists-intensivists, caregivers) must inform smokers of the positive effects of smoking cessation and offer them dedicated management and personalized follow-up. In children, cessation of parental smoking or removal of the child from environmental tobacco smoke as long before surgery as possible is indispensable.

[PRETAGREF study: Prevalence of tobacco use and factors associated with smoking cessation in kidney transplant recipients]. / Étude PRETAGREF : prévalence et facteurs associés au tabagisme chez les patients transplantés rénaux.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco use increases the risk of mortality, cancers and cardiovascular diseases in transplanted patients. Transplanted patients are encouraged to quit tobacco use before and after renal transplantation. This study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco consumption in transplanted patients in one French region. This survey was also conducted to identify factors associated with failure in smoking cessation. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A questionnaire was sent by mail to transplanted patients followed in our center between the 1/01/95 and the 31/12/10. A second mail was sent to increase the response rate. RESULTS: During the study period, 544 questionnaires were sent to kidney transplant recipients. Among these 544 patients, there were 362 responders. Of these 362 patients, 121 patients (33.4%) were past smokers, and 21 (5.8%) were active smokers. Among the smokers, 20% were exposed to second-hand smoke, 48% had criteria for tobacco moderate to high dependency, and 13.4% were addicted to alcohol. In the multivariate analysis, exposure to second-hand smoke and living alone at home were associated with failure in smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the prevalence of tobacco use is not high in transplanted patients. Only 6% of our patients report tobacco use at the study time. Environmental factors are associated with failure in tobacco cessation. Living alone and exposure to second-hand smoke are associated with smoking. Therefore, in transplantation centers, programs devoted to tobacco cessation should be implemented and should take care of patients' lifestyle.