The Effects of eCigarettes on the Microcirculation of the Hand
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Effects of Electronic Cigarettes on the Microcirculation of the Hand
IRAS ID
146633
Contact name
Tim Halsey
Contact email
Research summary
Cigarette smoking is associated with poor wound healing and worse results after hand surgery. Nicotine and cigarette smoke has been shown to affect blood flow in blood vessels in the hand.\n\nPatients are increasingly using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as a method of quitting smoking. E-cigarettes consist of a replaceable nicotine cartridge, a heating element and a battery source. They are able to deliver vaporised nicotine in the absence of other ingredients found in normal cigarettes such as tar and carbon monoxide.\n\nAlthough e-cigarettes lack a lot of the harmful ingredients of regular cigarettes, nicotine still has toxic effects on the body. Nicotine causes the release of chemicals within the body that act to reduce blood flow in small blood vessels of the hand.\n\nE-cigarettes remain a controversial topic among healthcare professionals due to the lack of research surrounding them. A recently published literature review identified only three significant studies into the effects of smoking e-cigarettes.\n\nAll of these studies showed the harmful effects of e-cigarettes on the lungs but to date, there is no published research investigating the effects of e-cigarettes on the blood flow within the small blood vessels of the hand.\n\nCurrently, we advise patients to quit smoking after they sustain a hand injury to improve healing and recent research suggests that patients should be advised to quit smoking 4 weeks before routine hand surgery. However, there is no guidance on whether we should also advise patients to refrain from using e-cigarettes for this time period.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/0188
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion