Electronic Cigarettes Have Minimal Effects on Heart Function

A new study suggests that electronic cigarettes, which simulate the effect of smoking by producing an inhaled vapor, appear to be far less harmful to myocardial function (MF) than regular cigarettes.

Researchers at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center (Athens, Greece) conducted a study to measure the acute effects of electronic cigarettes on MF, using echocardiography and hemodynamic measurements (blood pressure and heart rate). Study participants included 20 healthy young daily smokers aged 25-45 years after smoking one tobacco cigarette, and 22 daily electronic cigarette users of similar age after using the device for 7 minutes. The researcher studied experienced users of electronic cigarettes because they use the device more intensively than first-time users; as a result, users of electronic cigarettes had a 44% higher lifetime tobacco-smoking exposure compared to current smokers.

The researchers found that smoking one tobacco cigarette led to significant defects in the diastolic phase of left ventricular function, with four echocardiographic parameters indicating worsening function. In contrast, none of the echocardiographic parameters showed any significant worsening in subjects after using the electronic cigarette. Smoking a tobacco cigarette also had important hemodynamic consequences, with significant increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and in heart rate. In contrast, electronic cigarettes produced only a slight elevation in diastolic blood pressure. The study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual conference, held during August 2012 in Munich (Germany).

“It is too early to say whether the electronic cigarette is a revolution in tobacco harm reduction but the potential is there,” said lead author and study presenter Konstantinos Farsalinos, MD. “It is the only available product that deals with both the chemical (nicotine delivery) and psychological addiction to smoking. Laboratory analyses indicate that it is significantly less toxic and our study has shown no significant defects in cardiac function after acute use.”

The electronic cigarettes consisted of a cartridge containing a liquid with a nicotine concentration of 11mg/mL and a battery powered heating element that evaporates the liquid, simulating the effect of smoking by producing an inhaled vapor that is less toxic than that of regular cigarettes. Most studies have found no trace of nitrosamines, but even in studies where nitrosamines were found, the levels detected were 500-1,400 times less than the amount present in one tobacco cigarette. This means that electronic cigarettes need to be used daily for 4-12 months to get the amount of nitrosamines present in a single tobacco cigarette.

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Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center