MEDICAL RISK AND THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF RAPID SMOKING

To assess the potential medical risks of rapid smoking, 24 healthy, male cigarette smokers were examined under the following conditions: baseline (after 12-hr tobacco abstinence), normal smoking, and rapid smoking. After normal and rapid smoking standard 12-lead EKG, arterial blood gases, and vital signs were evaluated, and during rapid smoking each subject was monitored electrocardiographically throughout the session. During or after rapid smoking there were no EKG abnormalities. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and systolic blood pressure rose after normal and rapid smoking. Many subjects developed elevated arterial pH with lowered serum potassium after rapid smoking, and two-thirds of the subjects developed relative hypoxemia. Among those who completed treatment, 61% were still abstaining from cigarettes after 6 months. Rapid smoking was found to be safe for healthy subjects. However, the safety of the technique among persons with cardiopulmonary disease cannot be predicted from the results of this study. © 1979 Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy.