Previously affiliated with Florida Hospital, Dr. Hartmuth Bittner led the team that performed the first successful heart transplant in Central Florida. Dr. Hartmuth Bittner now works with Cardiac Surgery Associates S.C., providing cardiovascular care to patients and advising them on how to prevent cardiovascular illnesses. One critical prevention method is avoiding secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is both the sidestream smoke of burning cigarettes, cigars, and pipes and the smoke people exhale while smoking. People who are in the same room or environment as smokers will inevitably inhale this secondhand smoke, which may negatively impact their health.

Research has linked secondhand smoke to cardiovascular disease and chronic conditions like cancer. A Swedish study of people aged 45 to 70 found that those whose spouses smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day were more likely to have a heart attack than those whose spouses did not smoke. Meanwhile, a study of 32,000 nurses showed that those who were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke had twice the risk of a heart attack than those who were not exposed.

Secondhand smoke is dangerous because it impedes the proper functioning of cells in the heart and blood vessels. People should therefore avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, especially if they have a heart condition.