"Heart without smoke" educational campaign - the role of patient education in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Background: Nicotine addiction is the strongest factor in the increase of the risk of recurrent ischaemic events. Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse the effectiveness of a smoking cessation educational programme in a population of patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction within the "Heart without smoke" campaign. Methods: In this study, we included 100 consecutive patients, active smokers, hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction (STEMI or NSTEMI) at the Centre for Invasive Cardiology, Angiology, and Electrotherapy in Pinczow, Poland in the period from January to December 2015 (12 months). Patients were participants in the educational campaign about tobacco addiction "Heart without smoke". Results: At one-month follow-up observation: 61 patients had quit smoking and an additional 35 had decreased the number of cigarettes smoked per day. During six-month follow-up interview: 51 patients did not smoke cigarettes (13 had returned to smoking, three had additionally stopped smoking, one person had died). There were no statistically significant correlations between smoking cessation and gender (p = 0.4; p = 0.2), age (p = 0.8; p = 0.8) and length of prior smoking habit (p = 0.8; p = 0.5) and daily cigarette consumption before myocardial infarctions (p = 0.3; p = 0.3), one month, and six months after hospital discharge, respectively. Conclusions: Constant education of patients after myocardial infarction was an effective method for smoking cessation in over 50% of smokers six months after myocardial infarction.