No difference between smokers, former smokers, or nonsmokers in the operative outcomes of laparoscopic donor nephrectomies

The laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has revolutionized the living donation process for kidney transplantation. Because this surgery is elective and altruistic and smoking has been associated with greater technical difficulty and increased risk for postoperative complications for other types of surgeries, the potential risk of smoking must be addressed with regard to surgical complications. We reviewed 221 laparoscopic kidney donors with known smoking status. Forty-two (19%) were smokers, 39 (18%) were former smokers, and 140 (63%) were nonsmokers. Important donor demographics were similar between groups. There was no difference between the 3 groups for mean operative time (4.5 h vs. 4.6 h vs. 4.4 h), median or mean length of stay (2 days for all groups), estimated blood loss (173±137 mL vs. 209±184 mL vs. 188±198 mL), narcotic use (0.57±0.48 mg/kg vs. 0.49±0.26 mg/kg vs. 0.53±0.36 mg/kg of total 4 morphine equivalents), or postoperative complications. Smoking status does not seem to impact perisurgical patient outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomies.