Inpatient smoking cessation counseling reduces mortality

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that patients who are given prompt counseling on smoking cessation are less likely to die after a heart attack.
People who continue to smoke after having a heart attack run an increased risk of dying. Now researchers at the University of Birmingham at Alabama show the beneficial effects of helping such people with smoking cessation.

A group of over 16,000 patients was studied, of whom 41 per cent had had counseling. Compared with those not counseled, those who received inpatient smoking cessation counseling had reduced mortality at 30 days, 60 days and a year following their heart attack. Of course, the patients don't smoke in hospital, which protects them when they are there. The researchers say that, at the very least, patients should be asked to maintain the non-smoking condition of the hospital in their own home for as long as they can. The study adds to previous research by showing how early the benefit of quitting smoking can kick in for a heart attack survivor. As early as 30 days after a heart attack, the differences between smokers and non-smokers are already evident.

Source
American Journal of Medicine February 2005 Volume 118 Number 3