Smoking Bans Prevent Heart Attacks

n this issue of Circulation, Bartecchi and colleagues 1 describe a reduction in hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction in Pueblo, Colo, after the implementation of a city-wide smoking ordinance. The ordinance, which was strictly enforced, prohibited smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, and in all buildings open to the public. The findings in Pueblo confirm a similar assessment of the consequences of a public smoking ban in Helena, Mont, which was the first such assessment reported. In the Montana study, the law was in force for 6 months before a challenge led to a court order suspending it. Admissions for acute myocardial infarction declined by 40% during the 6 months of the ban and then rose after it was lifted.