Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation.

This document is a report on a systematic review that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and vaporized nicotine products (VNP) in helping people quit smoking. The review is being conducted as a "living" review, meaning that it will be updated monthly with new studies.

The authors have conducted searches in several databases, including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and clinical trial registries. The search yielded 825 non-duplicate records, and after screening and checking the full-text of 100 papers, the authors included 26 records representing six new studies, nine new articles linked to studies already identified, and 11 new references to ongoing studies.

The review includes studies that assessed the effectiveness of NRT and VNP on smoking cessation. The NRT arm of the studies included participants using e-liquid nicotine (18mg/ml nicotine) for 8 weeks, quitline behavioral support, and three flavors (tobacco, strawberry, menthol). Participants were permitted to use the study product ad libitum throughout the day and encouraged to stop smoking completely or reduce smoking if unable to stop completely. The VNP arm of the studies included participants using the Innokin Endura T18 Personal Vaporizer and e-liquid nicotine (18mg/ml nicotine) for 8 weeks, quitline behavioral support, and three flavors (tobacco, strawberry, menthol). Participants were also permitted to use the study product ad libitum throughout the day and encouraged to stop smoking completely or reduce smoking if unable to stop completely.

The primary outcome of the review is carbon monoxide-verified six-month continuous abstinence (smoking not more than 5 cigarettes) from the quit date (8 months from baseline). The secondary outcomes are self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 2-week and 6-week check-in calls and 8-month follow-up.

The authors used a pre-piloted data extraction form to extract data from the included studies and checked them against each other. any disagreements were resolved by discussion or with a third review author. The authors also assessed the risk of bias for each study and used the Grading of Recommendations assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRaDE) approach to assess the certainty of the evidence.

Overall, this document provides a detailed summary of the methods and findings of a systematic review evaluating the effectiveness of NRT and VNP on smoking cessation. The authors' use of a "living" review approach will ensure that the review remains up-to-date with the latest evidence.

Sonoda K, Kuroda K. Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation. american family physician. 2023;107(4).