In a study comparing the bone healing rates of smokers and non-smokers, the findings revealed that smokers took nearly 50 percent longer to heal after surgery than non-smokers and the bones of some failed to heal. Foot and ankle surgeons are assessing ways to decrease the dangers posed to smokers during and after surgery and improve their bone health.
Smokers are a high-risk group under any circumstances, but particularly so during and after surgery. According to foot and ankle surgeons, there are ways to reduce the risks to appropriately treat these patients for the best outcomes possible.
In addition to longer healing times, blood clots, wounds that break open and greater risk of infection are other dangers facing smokers. Perhaps the most serious threat to smokers who have foot and ankle surgery, however, is non-union or failure of the bone to mend. Smokers are four times more likely to experience non-union than non-smokers.
For more on how smoking affects your body's ability to heal after surgery, visit FootHealthFacts.orghttp://ht.ly/VvMx30739RX