Jump to full article: Medical News TODAY(UK), 2009-06-22
Intro: A new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) shows that patients admitted to a hospital with coronary artery disease are twice as likely to quit smoking after receiving intensive smoking cessation support than those receiving minimal support.
The researchers, through a randomized clinical trial, compared intensive intervention with minimal intervention. They found that patients admitted for open heart surgery, such as coronary artery bypass grafts, had considerably higher long-term abstinence rates after one year, compared with those admitted for heart attacks, such as acute myocardial infarctions.
Other elements were instrumental in reaching successful long-term smoking cessation, including absence of a previous heart attack, postsecondary education and some type of smoking restrictions at home.
The study used an intervention that turned out to be in the highest rates of one-year confirmed smoking termination in prior tests in the US.
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