Smoking cessation after development of coronary heart disease improves prognosis more than any other treatment. More than half of the patients who smoked prior to a cardiac event persist in smoking or relapse. This dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of factors that are significant for achieving smoking abstinence in cardiac patients and for implementing interventions programs in the cardiac setting. Two intensive interventions were implemented in the cardiac setting and tested in terms of their (cost-)effectiveness and feasibility, i.e. telephone counseling and face-to-face counseling both combined with nicotine replacement therapy. Eight cardiac wards of hospitals throughout the Netherlands participated. Both interventions revealed (cost-)effectiveness compared to usual care, though effectivess particularly surfaced among patients with a lower socio-economic status. Both interventions were feasible in cardiac practice, though efforts need to be done to improve intervention participation and adherence.