Review of psychosocial quit-smoking interventions for patients with coronary heart disease

Psychosocial interventions like counseling, telephone support and self-help materials can assist heart disease patients who are trying to give up cigarettes, but the most successful cessation treatments last a month or more, according to a new review of studies.

The review gathers evidence from 16 randomized controlled studies of psychosocial quit-smoking interventions for patients with coronary heart disease. Many of the study participants had experienced a heart attack or an invasive treatment such as bypass surgery or angioplasty.

"We found support for the efficacy of smoking cessation interventions with more than one-month duration, but brief interventions without some follow-up contact were not effective. We were unable to determine the minimum number of contacts needed," the review authors write.

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