Following MI, Smoking Cessation Rx Not Common

HealthDay News — Among older patients in community practice, the use of smoking cessation medications is low after myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published online in JAMA Cardiology.

Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, MPH, from Duke University in Durham, NC, and colleagues examined factors associated with early SCM use among MI patients from the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry. Bupropion and varenicline were smoking cessation medications included in the study.

The researchers found that 97% of the 9193 smoking patients with MI received smoking cessation counseling during their hospitalization, and 7% had early-prescription smoking cessation medication use. From 2007 to 2013 there was a decrease in varenicline use (12.6% to 2.2%), while bupropion use remained low (2.5% in 2007 and 3.2% in 2013). The median durations of use were 6.2 and 4.3 weeks for bupropion and varenicline use, respectively, with only 36.7% and 19.7%, respectively, filling prescriptions for the recommended course of 12 weeks. Smoking cessation medication use increased to 9.4% within 1 year after discharge. Before the index MI, 3% of patients were taking a prescription for smoking cessation medications; these patients more often used smoking cessation medications within 1 year after MI (64.1% vs 7.7%).

“The results of our study suggest the need for words (smoking cessation counseling rates are high) to be followed by action (SCM use rates can be higher),” the authors write.

Reference

Pagidipati NJ, Hellkamp A, Thomas L, Gulati M, Peterson ED, Wang TY. Use of prescription smoking cessation medications after myocardial infarction among older patients in community practice [published online July 19, 2017]. JAMA Cardiol. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2017.2369