Treating tobacco use and dependence in kidney transplant recipients: development and implementation of a program.

Tobacco use adversely affects transplant outcomes such as graft survival, patient survival, and other conditions that alter transplant patient longevity. Especially concerning is tobacco's relationship to cardiovascular disease, the number 1 cause of death in kidney transplant recipients. Many authors conclude that tobacco interventions ought to be provided to patients and sometimes lament that there are no tobacco dependence interventions designed for kidney transplant recipients.