Chest
Carboxyhemoglobin Levels in Primary and Secondary Cigar and Pipe Smokers*
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
A total of 130 subjects were studied and grouped by smoking habits, as determined by a questionnaire administered by pulmonary technicians. All subjects were studied in the Tampa (Fla) Veterans Administration Hospital's Pulmonary Function Laboratory.
Subjects had been referred for an analysis of arterial blood gas levels, which was performed on a blood gas analyzer (Radiometer PHM-72). Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was calculated from the arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) and pH. A portion of
Results
Table 1 gives the mean carboxyhemoglobin level and mean measured SaO2 of the groups studied. There was no apparent difference in the amount of tobacco smoked, the frequency of smoking, or the time since last exposure in the different groups of particular types of smokers. From Table 1, it can be seen that noninhaling (whether primary or secondary) cigar or pipe smokers had similar carboxyhemoglobin levels that were only slightly higher than nonsmokers. The mean values for SaO2 in the
Discussion
The present study has examined different categories of cigar and pipe smokers in regard to their past and present smoking habits and present carboxyhemoglobin levels. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on carboxyhemoglobin levels in cigar and pipe smokers, probably due to differences in the groups under study, as well as insufficient data on past smoking history and inhalation.
Goldsmith and Landaw4 in 1968 reported that pipe and cigar smokers had estimated carboxyhemoglobin
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Lancet
(1973) - The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (publication HSM 72-7516). US Department of Health,...
Cited by (17)
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Read in part at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society, New Orleans, May 17, 1976.
Manuscript received August 30; revision accepted October 12.