The effects of cigarette smoke on the progression of septic pseudarthrosis of the tibia treated by Ilizarov external fixator.

The authors conducted a study to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke on the healing of septic pseudarthrosis of the tibia treated by ilizarov external fixator. A total of 31 patients of both sexes were chosen, and the healing time in relation to the habit of smoking was examined. The results have shown that the healing time in non-smokers as compared to smokers was shorter by 33%. The difference is highly significant. This shows that abstention from smoking during treatment should be given maximum importance in prevention.