Smoking is a risk factor for complications during and after surgery, but most 
smokers are unable to quit before elective surgery. We tested the efficacy of 
bupropion in improving smoking cessation rates in this setting by enrolling 47 
patients from the elective surgery waiting list in a double-blind randomised 
controlled trial. Patients receiving bupropion had a lower daily cigarette 
consumption at the time of hospital admission, median (IQR) cigarettes per day: 
6 (2-7) vs. 15 (9-20), p = 0.046. They also had a reduction in end-expired 
carbon monoxide (p = 0.004), a known contaminant of cigarette smoke, and 
increased arterial oxygen saturation on pulse oximetry (p = 0.011). They were 
more likely to have stopped smoking at the 3-week visit (p = 0.036), but not at 
the 6-week visit (p = 0.25) or at the time of hospital admission for surgery (p 
> 0.99). This study found that smokers waiting for elective surgery are more 
likely to reduce or stop smoking when treated with bupropion.