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Background: The goal of secondary prevention is to hinder the recurrence of cardiovascular events in patients already diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. Aims: We aimed to assess the level of adherence to guidelines for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in everyday clinical practice. Methods: This was a single‑center retrospective analysis of 460 consecutive rehospitalized patients previously diagnosed with coronary artery disease. The presence of main risk factors for cardiovascular disease was analyzed in this cohort. Results: Overall, 80.7% of patients did not comply with the body mass index recommendations. Among nondiabetic patients, 43.5% exceeded the recommended blood glucose level and 55.5% of diabetic patients exceeded the recommended level of glycated hemoglobin. Total cholesterol level was higher than recommended in 13.5% of patients, the level of low‑density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was exceeded in 78.7% individuals, and the level of triglycerides was over the limit in 30.2% of patients. Systolic and / or diastolic blood pressure higher than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg was recorded in 41.3% of patients. Low level of physical activity was declared by 56.7% of the studied patients and 14.6% of them admitted to being current tobacco smokers. No patient fulfilled all of the main prevention goals (body weight, no smoking, LDL cholesterol level, glucose level, systolic and / or diastolic blood pressure) and in 10.2% of cases none of the above‑mentioned criteria were achieved. Significant difference in the implementation level of the guidelines was found between the sexes, with men showing lower adherence than women. Conclusions: The level of adherence to the guidelines for secondary prevention of coronary artery disease was extremely low, with men being worse responders than women.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective method for the treatment ofcoronary artery disease (CAD) that allows for a short hospital stay and fast recovery. It has been shown that PCI is a predictor of nonattendance at cardiac rehabilitation and correlates with poor adherence to lifestyle changes. Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the influence of education offered during PCI‑related hospitalization on knowledge, awareness, and prevalence of self‑reported risk factors for CAD. Methods: We collected data using a self‑designed 56‑item questionnaire. Questions assessed the knowledge of CAD risk factors and the level of their control. The maximal knowledge score was 31 points and the maximal control score, 15 points. Results: The study group consisted of 200 consecutive patients undergoing PCI. Patients with a history of PCI performed at least 8 weeks prior to their current hospitalization were included in the prior‑PCI group (64%), whereas the pre‑PCI group comprised patients with no history of revascularization (36%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) knowledge score was 19 (12.5–23) points in the pre‑PCI and 21 (12.5–24) points in the prior‑PCI group (P = 0.35). The median (IQR) risk control score was 5 (4.5–7) points in the pre‑PCI and 6 (4–8) points in the prior‑PCI group (P = 0.4). There was no correlation between the level of knowledge and the actual prevalence of CAD risk factors. We found that 50% of the prior‑PCI patients did not attend any rehabilitation, which correlated with poor control of CAD risk factors (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Currently used models of postprocedural education do not have an adequate effect on patient knowledge and do not bring recommended lifestyle changes.

Background: Nicotine addiction is the strongest factor in the increase of the risk of recurrent ischaemic events. Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse the effectiveness of a smoking cessation educational programme in a population of patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction within the “Heart without smoke” campaign. Methods: In this study, we included 100 consecutive patients, active smokers, hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction (STEMI or NSTEMI) at the Centre for Invasive Cardiology, Angiology, and Electrotherapy in Pinczow, Poland in the period from January to December 2015 (12 months). Patients were participants in the educational campaign about tobacco addiction “Heart without smoke”. Results: At one-month follow-up observation: 61 patients had quit smoking and an additional 35 had decreased the number of cigarettes smoked per day. During six-month follow-up interview: 51 patients did not smoke cigarettes (13 had returned to smoking, three had additionally stopped smoking, one person had died). There were no statistically significant correlations between smoking cessation and gender (p = 0.4; p = 0.2), age (p = 0.8; p = 0.8) and length of prior smoking habit (p = 0.8; p = 0.5) and daily cigarette consumption before myocardial infarctions (p = 0.3; p = 0.3), one month, and six months after hospital discharge, respectively. Conclusions: Constant education of patients after myocardial infarction was an effective method for smoking cessation in over 50% of smokers six months after myocardial infarction.