This is a persistent problem, said Susan Regan, an instructor in the department of medicine at Harvards medical school and an author of the new study. Smoking can impair wound healing and delay recovery from cardiopulmonary disease. And medical administrators say it can affect hospital efficiency
Overall, 18.4% (95% CI 16.8 to 20) of patients who smoked before admission also reported cigarette use during their inpatient stay, despite the fact that almost two-thirds were given nicotine patches, according to Susan Regan, PhD, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues.
"They never approached me to say would I donate his organs," said Susan Regan, Schmid's mother. "The people that were surrounding us were just asking about Sam, his quality of life, what would Sam want if we had to come to a difficult decision."