The effect of cigarette smoking on bone healing and fracture repair

Abstract EN

Objective : To determine the effect of cigarette smoking on bone healing and fracture repair among patients with malleolar fractures of ankle joint.

Methodology : Prospective study for 62 patients was done at King Hussein Medical Center, Amman, Jordan between January 2003 and December 2005 for treatment of malleolar fractures of ankle joint in term of healing time between groups of smokers and non smokers.

Results : From the 62 patients who were identified for specific ankle injury, 95% of non-smokers healed completely while only 68% of the smokers healed completely.

The average time until complete healing was over 4 weeks longer in the smoker patients.

Conclusion : Smoking cigarettes shows a significant difference in the healing lime of bone fractures between smokers and non-smokers.

Smoking places the patient al risk for delay in fracture healing and consequently increases the complications.