Study Establishes The Efficacy Of Nicotine Patches In Assisting Coronary Artery Disease Patients To Quit Smoking
March 28, 2007
In a recent experiment headed by Craig Pratt, cardiologist and director of Research at The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, nicotine patches were found to be safe and effective for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in inducing smoking cessation . The results derived from the study were presented at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session where 30,000 cardiovascular experts were assembled.
In the experiment, the CAD afflicted patients who had more than nine percent ischemic perfusion defect size (PDS, a measure of the amount of reduction in myocardial tissue blood flow) were selected and the effects of nicotine patches on stress-induced myocardial ischemia was measured by the utilization of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Alongside, the smokers who took more than 20 cigarettes were either given 21mg NicoDerm ® CQ® nicotine patches or placebo patches and after the completion of one week SPECT scan on patients was repeated and they were told to curb on their nicotine cravings by using the nicotine patch at the same time.
On the fourth week, a similar SPECT scan was conducted on patients and it became evident that in comparison to the patients who were provided the placebo patches, the active patch group showing an increase in nicotine levels and notwithstanding the nicotine increase, no specific changes in total or ischemic PDS were observed from baseline.
Before conducting each SPECT scan, the researchers measured the carbon monoxide levels and when they made a comparison between the results derived from the active patch using patients and the patients administered with placebo, the reduction of carbon monoxide was found to be significantly higher in active patch users (22.3 vs. 11.5 parts per million, or ppm ) in comparison to the placebo users(23 vs. 18.6 ppm).
Dr Craig Pratt pronounces that these clinical findings demonstrating the effects of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) are very important as these results are expected to play a significant role in reassuring smokers and physicians regarding the safety and efficacy of replacement therapy (NRT) in patients with CAD.
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