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The Impact of Smoking in Workers' Compensation Patients Receiving Spinal Cord Stimulation
Bryan O Ren1, Jeffrey A O'Donnell2, Joshua T Anderson3
1University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Department of Orthopaedics Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of smoking on clinical outcomes in workers' compensation (WC) patients receiving spinal cord stimulation (SCS). One hundred and ninety-six patients from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation were identified who received SCS with implantation occurring between 2007-2012. Patients were divided into smokers (n = 120) and nonsmokers (n = 76). Population characteristics before and after implantation were analyzed between the two groups. A multivariate logistic regression was run to determine predictors of return to work (RTW) status. Our regression determined smoking (p = 0.006; odds ratio [OR] = 0.260) and body mass index (p = 0.036; OR = 0.905) to be negative predictors of RTW status. After implantation, smokers were less likely to RTW after 6 months and had higher pain scores after 6 and 12 months. Both smokers and nonsmokers had significance reductions in opioid use after SCS implantation. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 30(3):185-189, 2021).
