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Remote Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Cardiac Patients

Remote Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Cardiac Patients: Bridging the Post-discharge

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05738408
Enrollment
50
Registered
2023-02-22
Start date
2022-08-12
Completion date
2025-12-31
Last updated
2025-01-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Keywords

smoking cessation, secondary prevention

Brief summary

The investigators are proposing to examine new strategies for helping patients hospitalized for an acute coronary event adhere to recommendations to quit smoking. The investigators are interested to see whether offering financial incentives for smoking cessation, combined with medications to ameliorate withdrawal, can significantly reduce smoking in a population for which continued smoking has disproportionately negative health effects. The proposed trial can provide significant knowledge for promoting adherence to smoking cessation guidelines in patients with cardiac disease

Detailed description

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. The effect of smoking in those with coronary artery disease (CAD) is particularly powerful given that at hospital admission, 27-36% of these patients are active smokers which is much higher than in the general population (\<18%).1-3While smoking rates have declined in the U.S., this has not been observed in cardiac populations. Continued smoking after hospitalization also predicts additional negative outcomes such as lack of engagement in comprehensive secondary prevention for example cardiac rehabilitation (CR).4 Smoking may also directly impede improvements in fitness which is a critical predictor of recovery in this population and thus crucial to examine.5-7 Surprisingly, having a serious cardiac event, such as a myocardial infarction (MI) may not be enough to promote sustained cessation.8 Thus, promoting adherence to smoking cessation guidelines in this population is of utmost importance.9 Acute cardiac hospitalization does provide an ideal opportunity to intervene on smoking.10 Patients are required to abstain from smoking while hospitalized and are often motivated to quit. Unfortunately, less than a quarter of patients receive Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in-hospital and even fewer receive support after discharge. 11,12 For most patients, follow-up care may not occur for 4-6 weeks and most patients relapse to smoking within the first few weeks.11,13 Ideally, intensive intervention would be started in-hospital and continue after discharge, bridging this post-hospital gap in care. Financial incentives (FI) for objectively verified smoking abstinence is highly effective in promoting smoking cessation in medically vulnerable populations, but, to the Investigators knowledge, has not been tested in patients with CVD.14.15 NRT is safe in cardiac patients, but is rarely prescribed or offered in a manner that maximizes efficacy (i.e., combination short and long-acting NRT).16 Building on our strong published and preliminary data, the investigators hypothesize that a combined behavioral and pharmacologic smoking cessation intervention started in hospital and continued remotely can bridge the post-hospital care gap and support patients through a critical period in cardiac recovery where risk of smoking relapse is high.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALFinancial Incentives (FI) and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

: In the intervention condition, patients will receive both NRT plus a 12-week program of monetary incentives for verified smoking abstinence that will be implemented by our clinic staff

Sponsors

University of Vermont Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Patients will be recruited if they: 1. Hospitalization for an acute coronary event which includes myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization (percutaneous intervention or coronary artery bypass) 2. live within 30 miles of UVMMC and are \>18 years of age 3. Current cigarette smoker (defined as reporting any use of cigarettes in the week before admission and \>5 cigarette/day on average over the past 3 months)

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be excluded if they have: 1. severe dementia/Alzheimer's disease 2. an active malignancy, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer or low-grade prostate cancer under active surveillance 3. exercise limiting vascular or neuromuscular disease 4. Non-English Speaking 5. No reliable smart-phone 6. Current, regular use of smokeless tobacco or other form of non-combusted tobacco

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Biochemical verification of smoking status3 monthsAssess the efficacy of combined FI+NRT vs. UC on biochemically verified smoking abstinence

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cardiovascular Fitness3 monthsDetermine the effect of smoking status on changes in cardiovascular fitness (VO2peak).

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Physical Function assessed by MOS SF-363 monthsThe General Health Status MOS SF-36 questionnaire will be administered with special attention to the physical function component score.
Quality of Life assessed by EuroQol questionnaire3 monthsEuroQol
Quality of Life assessed by MacNew Cardiac Health questionnaire3 monthsdisease specific MacNew Cardiac Health Status Questionnaire will be administered
Smoking Characteristics3 monthsCigarettes per day (CPD) using timeline follow back methods
Anxiety assessed by GAD-7 Questionnaire3 monthsthe General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7)Questionnaire will be administered to assess anxiety
Risk Aversion Assessment3 months
Health Care Contacts12 monthsCombined measure of number of Emergency Department visits and overnight hospitalizations
Depression assessed by PHQ-9 questionnaire3 monthsmood will be measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Smoking Status3 monthsCO monitoring

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactSherrie Khadanga, MD
sherrie.khadanga@uvmhealth.org802-847-2700
Backup ContactDiann Gaalema, PhD
diann.gaalema@med.uvm.edu

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026