New York, May 13 (IANS): If you have gone through angioplasty, kicking the butt clearly implies a healthier quality of life compared to those who smoke, says a study.

"It is a no-brainer. Stopping smoking seems like a relatively easy way to increase your chances of getting the best outcomes from angioplasty," said senior author and cardiologist John Spertus from Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.

Quitting smoking when you have an angioplasty can help maximise the procedure's benefits, meaning more relief from chest pain.

For the study, the team analysed chest pain and quality of life measurements for 2,765 adults who underwent angioplasty -- a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart.

From 10 different hospitals throughout the US, researchers recruited patients, who were undergoing angioplasty for either a heart attack or chest pain.

During the one-year follow-up, about 38 percent of smokers quit while about 63 percent persisted in smoking. They found that 21 percent of people who quit smoking when they had angioplasty reported chest pain as compared with 31 percent who kept smoking.

Nineteen percent of people who either never smoked or quit smoking before their angioplasty still had chest pain. Patients who smoke are strongly urged to quit as a key component of preventing a recurrent cardiovascular issue.

"This is the largest study measuring quality of life after angioplasty with respect to smoking," Spertus added.

It is not enough that a good job is done of treating the blockage.

"Cardiologists have to work with patients to help them stop smoking, whether it means nicotine replacement, a smoking cessation programme or some other intervention," Spertus emphasised.

The research appeared in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.