RT Journal
A1 Myers K, Hajek P, McRobbie H
T1 WHat is a reasonable threshold for worries about health risks?
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2011
FD August 8
VO 171
IS 15
SP 1401
OP 1404
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.341
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.341
AB 
We were surprised by the Invited Commentary on our article1 by Chow and Devereaux.2 The review we presented failed to find evidence of risk across all existing studies of presurgery smoking cessation. We also examined the theory that underpinned concerns that stopping smoking shortly before surgery can be dangerous and reported that the notion that ex-smokers cough less and produce more sputum is not supported by the facts. The Invited Commentary repeats some of the caveats we made in the article regarding the limited scope and quality of available data, but unlike the article, it actually concludes that stopping smoking shortly before surgery is not safe after all. We fail to see the logic of this conclusion.