Movement is Life - Optimizing Patient Access to Total Joint Arthroplasty: Smoking Cessation Disparities

Currently, 13.7% of the adult American population smokes cigarettes. Although rates of cigarette smoking have decreased over time, those of e-cigarette usage have increased. Smoking rates are highest in American Indians/Alaskan Natives and adults whose highest education level is a General Educational Development certificate, who live in rural American areas, and who have an annual household income of less than $35,000. After arthroplasty, smoking is linked to impaired wound healing, superficial and deep wound infections, and aseptic loosening. Patients who smoke should be strongly encouraged to stop and be supported with smoking cessation programs. Monitoring smoking cessation with cotinine levels may be inaccurate because variations have been noted in race, ethnicity, and sex. Confirmation of cessation as a hard stop to surgery could increase existing healthcare disparities. The role of the surgeon in encouraging patients to stop smoking, at least temporarily, before total joint arthroplasty cannot be overemphasized.