NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s 56th Annual Scientific Session, a gathering of over 30,000 cardiovascular experts, indicates that nicotine patches may be safe to use in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).1 Currently, 40 percent of smokers continue to smoke after a coronary event.2 Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of subsequent mortality and further cardiac events in smokers with coronary artery disease by as much as 50 percent in the first year.3