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Smoking Cessation May Improve Angioplasty Recovery

Those who quit smoking while undergoing angioplasty report higher quality of life and less chest pain than those who do not quit, according to a new study.

The study is the largest to date to measure quality of life after angioplasty in association with smoking.
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For the study, researchers measured ratings of chest pain and quality of life for 2765 patients from 10 hospitals who underwent angioplasty post-heart attack or for relief of chest pain. Participants were categorized into 4 groups:

  • past smokers who quit prior to the procedures,
  • those who smoked but quit after their angioplasty,
  • those who continued to smoke after their angioplasty, and
  • those who never smoked.

During the procedure, patients completed questionnaires regarding chest pain and general quality of life and repeated the questionnaires 1, 6, and 12 months later.

Investigators evaluated the data and adjusted for medical history, disease severity, treatments, and demographic factors to narrow the impact of smoking.

One year after the patients’ procedures, 38% of the smokers had quit while 63% continued to smoke.

Overall, only 21% of people who quit smoking during angioplasty reported chest pain compared to 31% of patients who kept smoking, and only 19% of those who quit smoking prior to angioplasty or had never smoked reported still having chest pain.

“It’s a no-brainer. Stopping smoking seems like a relatively easy way to increase your chances of getting the best outcomes from angioplasty,” the researchers concluded.

The complete study is published in the May issue of the Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:
1. American Heart Association. Smoking and angioplasty: not a good combination. May 7, 2015. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/smoking-and-angioplasty:-not-a-good-combination. Accessed May 13, 2015.