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Author(s)
Hayden McRobbie, Maciej Goniewicz, Peter Hajek
Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine and UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, Queen Mary University London, London
Presenter(s)
Dr Hayden McRobbie Reader in Public Health Interventions, Queen Mary University of London, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Abstract
The electronic cigarette (EC) is a non-tobacco device that provides both nicotine and the sensory-motor stimulation similar to that provided by tobacco cigarettes. Drawing on the mouthpiece activates the battery-powered heater that vapourises the liquid (a mix typically containing nicotine and propylene glycol or glycerine) in the cartridge into a fine mist that is then inhaled – the nicotine being absorbed mainly in the oropharynx.
The EC is currently being promoted to smokers as a means to reduce or cease their cigarette consumption. Anecdotally smokers report using the e-cigarette to help them stop smoking and NHS-SSS providers want to know what advice they should be giving to service users.
It is known that ECs can reduce urges to smoke as well as the nicotine inhalator. This is likely to be via their nicotine and non-nicotine (e.g. behavioural replacement of smoking) effects. Early studies failed to show that ECs delivered much, if any, nicotine to the smoker, but they used inadequate puffing schedules. However nicotine delivery appears to differ by brand and model and more recent data suggests that some ECs are capable of delivering nicotine effectively, although the amount of nicotine delivered by ECs is substantially less than that delivered by regular cigarettes. Survey data suggest that e-cigarettes are aiding cessation of smoking, however results from studies designed to examine their efficacy for smoking cessation are not yet available.
This presentation will summarise the current literature on efficacy and safety of these increasingly popular devices.
