The Effect of Parental Smoking Exposure on Perioperative Respiratory Complications in Children

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of parental smoking (PS) exposure on the incidence of respiratory complications in children who receivedMethods: This study was conducted at a university hospital between April and October 2022. A total of 98 children aged 0-16 years who had an American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score of 1-2 and underwent general anesthesia were included in the study. The children were divided into two groups: PS and non-PS groups. Parents were asked to provide basic demographic information about their children, such as age, sex, and medical conditions (presence of an allergy, history of surgery, and diagnosed diseases) as well as their household tobacco holding spells lasting longer than 15 seconds, wheezing, and croup) were recorded before induction, during the intraoperative period, after extubation, and in the post-anesthesia care unit.Results: Our study indicated that the incidence of complications was significantly higher in children exposed to PS than in those who were not (35.7% and 16.7%, respectively; p=0.03). Most of the complications occurred following extubation, and the common complications were laryngospasm, increased airway secretion, and breath-holding spells. No statistically significant difference in the development of complications was observed based on the sex of the child, exposure time, duration and type of surgery, airway management technique, and number of cigarettes consumed by the parents. The incidence of complications increased as the distance of cigarette exposure decreased (p=0.03).Conclusion: PS exposure increased the incidence of respiratory complications in children undergoing general anesthesia, and the frequency of complications increased as the distance of exposure decreased.