| Sub-title | |
| Authors | Miriam Debono SRN K Schembri MD, FETCS Alexander Manche MPhil, FRCS(CTh) |
| Abstract | As health-care workers it is our duty to counsel patients to stop smoking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this counselling. A standardised questionnaire was sent to 300 consecutive patients who underwent coronary revascularisation between April 1995 and November 1996. 253 patients (84%) responded. 153 patients (60%) smoked prior to the confirmation of ischaemic heart disease by angiography and/or myocardial infarction. 77 patients (50% of smokers) quit around the time of their diagnosis (group 1), whereas 76 patients were still smoking at the first pre-operative evaluation for coronary artery bypass grafting (group 2). Smokers requiring urgent surgery (group 2, urgent) were counselled to stop smoking and offered early surgery. Smokers in whom surgery was not initially deemed urgent (group 2, elective) were counselled and followed up closely until they quit smoking or became urgent surgical candidates. At a mean follow-up of 7 years, all patients in group 1 and 66% of patients in group 2 remained non-smokers, giving an overall long-term success rate of 83%. Several factors were analysed in order to determine their influence on relapse. Smoking cessation in ischaemic heart disease patients requiring surgery has a high success rate. Pre-operative counselling is of value in the secondary prevention of heart disease in those patients who are still smoking when referred for surgery. |
Published in: | |
| Journal | Malta Medical Journal |
| Volume | 16 Issue 04 |
| Pages | 24 - 28 |
| Date | 01/11/2004 |
| Link to journal | |
| Key words | coronary revascularisation, counselling, heart disease, secondary prevention, smoking cessation |