Perioperative tobacco use interventions in Japan: a survey of thoracic surgeons and anaesthesiologists.

Although current rates of intervention provided by anaesthesiologists and surgeons are low, there is considerable interest among these physicians in learning more about interventions. Given the relatively high prevalence of smoking in Japan and the potential for surgery to serve as a 'teachable moment' to promote abstinence from smoking, leadership by these specialists in the area of tobacco control could have a major impact on public health in Japan.