Impact of smoking cessation counseling among acute myocardial infarction patients on post-hospitalization mortality rates: a systematic review

Abstract Objective The current systematic review aimed to assess the impact of smoking cessation counseling (SCC) on patients’ short- and long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods The Cochrane guidelines were used to conduct a systematic review of Medline (PubMed), ScienceDirect, CINAHL Cochrane database, and Google Scholar for studies on the impact of SCC on AMI patients’ mortality. Results Five studies were found to meet the predefined inclusion criteria. Smoker patients were not routinely counseled to quit smoking during their post-AMI hospital stay. Studies showed a reduction in mortality among AMI patients’ who received SCC compared with patients who did not receive it. Conclusions SCC during hospitalization and after discharge is a simple and cost-effective intervention that improves AMI patients’ survival.