Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Initially introduced as a safer alternative to smoking, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vaping have since been associated with lung injury. Nevertheless, there is limited perioperative data on their potential contribution to the harmful effects of mechanical ventilation on the lungs. We hypothesized that, in adults undergoing noncardiothoracic surgeries, preoperative vaping/e-cigarette use is associated with hypoxemia during the first postoperative hour, and with an increased incidence of intraoperative and postoperative pulmonary complications. ⋯ Vaping/e-cigarette use was neither associated with clinically significant hypoxemia during the first hour in the postanesthesia care unit nor with an increase in pulmonary complications. Nevertheless, our findings cannot definitively exclude the deleterious effects of vaping and e-cigarette use on the lungs, and anesthesiologists should consider potential perioperative complications.