Primary care physicians attempt to implement care according to best practices, KP guidelines and evidence-based medicine.  As of October 2019, there have been 26 deaths and 1,299 cases of lung injury linked to e-cigarettes. These reports have created widespread concern among clinicians and the public, creating a need to understand what we know at this point, with the caveat being that there is no clear understanding of the causes of vaping-related lung-toxicity.

Caution is advised when choosing e-cigarettes, with consideration of their comparable effectiveness to FDA-approved medications but uncertain long-term harms.  Smoking-cessation strategies involving e-cigarettes may increase exposures to health risks in two ways. Persons who are not successful at quitting smoking may continue to use e-cigarettes, and they may become “dual users” (i.e., vaping and smoking).

This conference will address improvement for understanding the risks with vaping; so, Adult Family Medicine physicians can better educate their patients.