ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s, one of the authors (Taylor) along with his colleagues at the Stanford Cardiac Rehabilitation Program identified the need for an inpatient tobacco cessation program. This happened during a home-based exercise study for patients who had suffered a heart attack. Anecdotally, it was noted that many patients quit smoking within the first few weeks following their heart attack. These patients were more likely to remain non-smokers over the long-term than those who did not quit within those first few seemingly critical weeks.
