Although geographic variation in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been recognized, the impact of evidence-based international treatment guidelines on such variation is unclear. We sought to characterize resource use and cost of initial hospitalization for AMI in 9 countries and compare the contribution of length of stay (LOS) and procedure use to cost.
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA. teresa.kauf@duke.edu