Role of smokers in the household and of cardiac rehabilitation in smoking behaviour after acute myocardial infarction.

Objects: This study aims to evaluate the influence of household smokers and of a prolonged, comprehensive home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP) on patient's long term smoking behaviour after AMI.

Methods: 164 male post-AMI patients, all smokers until the day of AMI, were subdivided into three groups: Group A (n=54): patients with recent AMI, discharged from hospital without enrolment in CRP; Group B (n=55): similar to Group A but enrolled in an 8 weeks hospital-based CRP and then discharged home with routine care; Group C (n=55) enrolled in an 8 weeks hospital-based CRP followed by a further 10 months of formal home-based CRP, with scheduled hospital follow-up visits.

Results: Smoking resumption at 12 months was influenced by the presence of household smokers (HS): 38% of patients with HS resumed smoking compared to 27% of patients without HS (p <0.

[Cardiac rehabilitation in a HIV-patient treated with protease inhibitors].

We report a case of a 38-years-old HIV-positive patient, undergoing in the last 18 months therapy with three antiretroviral drugs including a protease inhibitor (nelfinavir). The patient was admitted in our Department with acute anterior myocardial infarction and was submitted to PTCA on the left anterior descending coronary artery. The patient, a 30 cigarettes/day smoker, with family history of hypertension and high levels of trygliceride and cholesterol, was subsequently admitted to our Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit.