Prospective study on smoking cessation duration and wound healing outcomes in reconstructive surgery

The relationship between the duration of smoking cessation before reconstructive surgery and subsequent wound healing outcomes is of interest. Hence, a total of 128 adult patients undergoing elective reconstructive procedures were followed for 30 days postoperatively. Wound complications-including infection, dehiscence and delayed healing-were assessed in relation to smoking abstinence duration. Patients who ceased smoking for ≥4 weeks showed significantly better healing outcomes than those who quit for <2 weeks. Thus, we show the clinical importance of extended preoperative smoking cessation for optimized wound recovery.