27.06.2023 – 12:28
Thrombose Initiative e.V.
Karlsruhe (ots)
On June 21, 2023, the 4th Karlsruhe Prevention Talks took place in the Karlsruhe Clinic. Prof. Dr. Martin Storck, Director of the Clinic for Vascular and Thoracic Surgery at the Municipal Clinic in Karlsruhe, invited again. The aim of the Karlsruhe Prevention Talks is to create an interdisciplinary consensus on various issues relating to the prevention of vascular diseases and to convey this to all interested colleagues.
Prof. Storck summarizes the result as follows: “It will continue to be the task of the medical profession and science to remind people of the importance of smoking as the greatest avoidable risk to health and at the same time to seek dialogue with those affected and the responsible politicians . The common goal must be to minimize these risks with all available means, also through a realistic strategy of physicians and regulators, which is based on the respective risk level of the nicotine products.”
Evidence can no longer be ignored
After an introduction to the topic of smoking cessation by Prof. Storck, addiction expert Prof. Dr. Backmund from Munich the series of lectures. He first explained the concept of addiction. For those affected, it is a strategy for overcoming inner tensions, conflicts or fears. Effective addiction therapy is not possible without dealing with these inner problems. If the addiction endangers the person affected by acute or long-term damage, it is important to look for practicable solutions. Here, the concept of harm reduction (damage reduction) is of great importance in many areas of addiction therapy.
Prof. Dr. Martin Scherer, Director of the Institute and Polyclinic for General Medicine at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, pointed out the role of general practitioners in patient care and also in the care of patients with addictions. Clear and implementable recommendations in the guidelines for smoking cessation are therefore desirable and the evidence for the benefits of reduced-emission e-cigarettes is therefore of great importance for practice. The increasing evidence for low-emission alternatives without tobacco combustion is now so convincing that it can no longer be ignored by the guidelines.
Never offer anything
Prof. Dr. Ute Mons, Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology of Aging at the University of Cologne, has dealt with the topic of tobacco control in an international comparison. Germany is way down on the WHO’s Tobacco Control Scale. If you compare the nations England and Ireland, which are at the top of the scale, with Germany, you can see that in these countries there are consistent and repeatedly adapted plans with which politicians and the health system together try to actively reduce the number of smokers. Such a structured plan and comparable targeted cooperation are missing in Germany, criticized Prof. Mons.
Afterwards, Dr. Thomas Hering, pneumologist from Berlin and Prof. Dr. Knut Kröger, angiologist at the Helios Klinikum Krefeld, her view of the clinical routine of smoking patients with advanced long-term damage as a result of smoking. When advising these patients, the focus is on regularly addressing the problem. However, this should not be done in an instructive and patronizing manner, but as a supportive and motivating interview (motivational interviewing) and must have a firm place in practice and in everyday clinical practice. However, those smokers who cannot be motivated to quit should not be left alone. Rather, in this context, it is ethically justifiable and necessary to address the issue of harm reduction. “Never offer anything,” emphasized Prof. Hering.
More options through new study
The newly initiated ASCHR study (Aachen Smoking Cessation and Harm Reduction) shows that the topic of smoking cessation has also reached the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA). This telemedicine study is funded by the Innovation Fund of the G-BA. She is investigating whether the gradual exhaustion of all the aids mentioned in the S3 guidelines for smoking cessation and also the offer of e-cigarettes or tobacco heaters to reduce pollutants leads to smoking cessation more often than the previous standard therapy. This is limited to a simple consultation with the attending doctor with the request to buy a nicotine replacement product yourself. Patients who require intervention or surgery for peripheral arterial disease are included in the new study.
The political idea that emanates from this 4th Karlsruhe Prevention Talks contributes to effectively minimizing smoke damage throughout Germany.
Video 4th Karlsruhe Prevention Discussion
Further information can be found at www.thrombose-initiative.de
Press contact:
Prof. Dr. Knut Kröger
[email protected]
Original content from: Thrombose Initiative eV, transmitted by news aktuell