Cold-induced vasodilation in abstinent smokers with and without a 12 hour nicotine patch.

This study was designed to identify the effects of a 12 hr nicotine patch administration on cold induced vasodilation (CIVD) in healthy young chronic smokers following 16 hours of abstinence from smoking. Two laser Doppler probes and temperature thermocouples were placed on the dorsal part of the distal phalanx of the middle and ring fingers of 7 smokers (>12 cigarettes/day). Following 16-hour of abstinence from smoking, smokers were tested with and without administration of a 21 mg transdermal nicotine patch (NicoDerm®) . Each participant's right hand was immersed in cold (~5 °C) water for 40 minutes. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated from non-invasive arterial finger blood pressure and skin blood flow and expressed as a percentage of peak CVC observed during hand skin heating to 44 °C. For comparison purposes, the CIVD response of a non-smoking cohort without nicotine patch (n=10) was also examined. Baseline CVC was similar in smokers and non-smokers (27.8 ± 12.6 CVC % peak). The initial vasoconstriction during cold water immersion decreased skin blood flow to 4.0 ± 3.9 CVC % peak in both smokers and non-smokers. The onset of CIVD in smokers (4.5 ± 1.5 minutes) was delayed compared to non-smoker (3.3 ± 0.8 minutes, P<0.05). The area under the CVC %peak - time curve during cold water immersion averaged 1250 ± 388 CVC %peak• min in non-smokers which was larger (P<0.05) than smokers with or without nicotine (789 ± 542 and 862 ± 517 CVC %peak • min, respectively). Chronic smoking impaired the CIVD response to cold water immersion of the hand, however, the impaired CIVD response in 16 hours of abstinence from smoking was not influenced by application of a 21 mg transdermal nicotine patch.