AboutNeal Okerson Expertise I should be able to answer most questions about anatomy and physiology of heart and lungs. I also enjoy answering questions about understanding diseases. I should also be able to explain the goals and objectives of various pulmonary related treatments. Not an M.D., but worked in the field (Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician) since 1990. Registered Respiratory Therapist since 1995. B.S. degree in Health Education (1987). Currently working (since 1993) as the Director of Clinical Education in an AMA approved Respiratory Care Program in Western KY.
Question I am a smoker, :o( my husband has ALS and is coming home from the hospital with a vent, he needs it for the pep, Can i smoke in another room, I want to keep him safe & be abled to puff when i get nervous?
Thank you so very much,
Juanita
Answer Juanita,
I have bad news - no one is ever safe around smoke. Second hand smoke kills 3,000 people a year from cancer alone. Even more second hand smokers die via heart disease. Many other causes add to the statistics. Another note - kids exposed to smoke will test 6-8 percentage points lower than kids in non-smoking homes. They will have many more colds and 4 times as many ear aches. There are many other health effects from smoking. Another note though - with less smoke exposure, many of the risk are less.
If your husband is using oxygen with his ventilator, smoking in the house can increase the risk for fire. Oxygen mixed with a flame can burn extremely hot. If the oxygen accumulates somewhere and a flame enters the picture, it can be devastating. I have seen demonstrations where liquid oxygen was placed with charcoal and ignited. It created a huge ball of flame and consumed the charcoal (8 pounds) in about a half a second.
I suggest doing the puffing outside. Sorry for the bad news.
