Format
Scientific article
Publication Date
Published by / Citation
Octavio Campollo1*, O. Patricia Torres Delgado1, Magaly Becerra García1. Treatment of severe smoking after an acute myocardial infarction. Med Int Mex 2017; julio 33(4): 533-539
Original Language

Spanish

Country
Mexico
Keywords
heart stroke; tobacco; intense smoking; nicotine; dependence; treatment; stent.

Treatment of Severe Smoking

Tobacco smoking is a chronic disease affecting one fifth of our population. Most smokers however are not conscious nor seek treatment for their problem. Some patients are able to reach abstinence by themselves but the majority need some kind of medical-psychological therapy. The best therapy to reach abstinence or improvement will depend on the stage of behavioral change. We present a case of extreme smoking (80 cigarettes a day) who presented a heart stroke and who was successfully treated with a stent. After he was discharged from hospital he was admitted to the smoking cessation program. He attended the program for 8 weeks and decreased his smoking by 94 % at the end of the program. This case represents the clinical challenges and complexity of treatment for patients with a high degree of nicotine dependence in spite of life threatening consequences of tobacco smoking.