NHS provokes fury with indefinite surgery ban for smokers and obese

Starker on 25/10/2017 at 13:19

Quote Posted by heywood

But if a smoker can't get surgery even though they don't have COPD, heart disease, or any other adverse condition caused by their smoking, that's discrimination.

But they could get surgery, though? They would just have to wear a nicotine patch for 8 weeks. And they'd have less risk of complications and dying.

heywood on 25/10/2017 at 13:42

What makes you think that wearing a nicotine patch for 8 weeks is going to reduce their risk of complications and dying? If they have an adverse health condition that's due to smoking, it's not going to clear up in 8 weeks. Smoking related diseases are chronic and mostly irreversible. And if they don't have any adverse health condition that would affect surgery, why put it off?

By the way, where did you find 8 weeks? As far as I could tell the details of the policy (e.g. what it meant to 'quit smoking') were still being worked out.

Starker on 25/10/2017 at 14:44

Because smoking is a direct risk?

I don't know if 8 weeks is exactly what was proposed in Hertfordshire this time, but I think I read it in an article I can't find right now. Also, it's what they reccommend (https://www.google.ee/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwj--r6h_4vXAhXGApoKHQ2cBmwQFggnMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.enherts-tr.nhs.uk%2Fpatient-information%2Fdownload%2F398%2F&usg=AOvVaw2DB7efXUyzaZ6bv1nMK2D7) here:

Quote:

People who give up at least 8 weeks before their operation reduce their risk of breathing complications to the same level as people who never smoked. But even if you have a few days or weeks before your operation, giving up will still be beneficial.

And again (https://www.google.ee/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwj--r6h_4vXAhXGApoKHQ2cBmwQFggyMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fundingrequests.cscsu.nhs.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F10%2F33-Knee-referral-and-surgery-thresholds-Feb-2012.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0sI_E-c6uD45Cig-XCTSHb) here:

Quote:

Referral should be considered when other pre-existing medical conditions have been optimised, and there has been evidence of weight reduction to an appropriate weight. Patients who are overweight (BMI 25 - 29.9) or obese (BMI >30) should be encouraged and supported to reduce their BMI below 25. Equally, patients who smoke should be encouraged to stop smoking at least 8 weeks before surgery to reduce the risk of anaesthestic or operative complications.

robthom on 13/11/2017 at 02:02

Its not an unusual tactic for tyranny minded bully types who like to push their agendas on people to use public resources to push their agendas.

Thats why I believe in separate but equal.
Thats why we should SEPARATE our personal lifestyles, resources, responsibilities and the bills for it so that some people cant use a shared bill to pick fights about what we're all allowed to do according to who.

Example, when purchasing car insurance teenagers have to pay more.
Or health insurance, smokers have to pay more.

Now shouldn't that be the same for anybody with a high risk lifestyle choice.
Maybe you like to sky dive, or disco dance with a high risk crowd of people.

But some people want to use the high costs of things to tell you what YOU cant do,
and how we should all chip in to pay the high cost of what THEY want to do.

And the do the same thing with taxes.
They spend all day dreaming up ways how anything that they dont like should be taxed,
and how anything they like is their "right" to be paid for by "all of us".

Separate but equal would keep it nice and clear who's paying for what,
in a culture of diversity who have to live together,
but might not have much in common.

And then we wouldn't have to fight about it.