Patients who quit smoking after percutaneous coronary intervention do as well as non-smokers, unless they smoked heavily

Patients who quit smoking after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for narrowed arteries have similar outcomes as non-smokers during four years of follow-up after the procedure, according to a large study published in the European Heart Journal today. However, if they had been heavy, long-term smokers, no improvement was seen.