Refraining from cigarette smoking before premedication does not decrease the risk of acid pulmonary aspiration during...

Seventy-four habitual smokers who had refrained overnight from cigarette smoking and were undergoing elective orthopedic surgery were allocated randomly to two groups in order to investigate the effect of smoking two cigarettes before premedication on volume and pH of gastric contents. The smoking group was allowed to smoke two cigarettes while the non-smoking group was not allowed to smoke. There was no significant difference in volume or pH between the groups, either just after intubation or prior to extubation, thus indicating no decreased risk of acid pulmonary aspiration because of refraining acutely from cigarette smoking.