title: In-hospital cost of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in Canada and the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Global health care costs in Canada and the United States have been examined on a macroeconomic level. However, to our knowledge, comparative costs of specific procedures in the 2 countries have not been closely studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  To perform a microeconomic comparison of costs of open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, we examined the costs of treating 1057 consecutive patients from 4 Canadian (n = 552) and 6 US (n = 505) hospitals. Participating hospitals used the same cost accounting system that provided demographic, clinical, and cost data (excluding physician's fees) for each patient. Canadian dollar costs were converted to US dollar costs using purchasing power parities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with patients who underwent AAA repair in the United States, Canadian patients were significantly younger (mean +/- SD, 70.2 +/- 10.5 vs 73.3 +/- 8.5 years; P<.001) and were less likely to undergo elective repair (48.5% vs 73.3%; P<.001). The median length of hospital stay was longer in Canada (9.0 vs 7.0 days; P<.001), and mortality rates were similar (12.0% [Canada] vs 9.9% [United States]; P =.29). The mean +/- SEM cost of AAA repair was dollars 15 852 +/- dollars 790 in Canada compared with US dollars 23299 +/- US dollars 1410 in the United States.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cost of AAA repair is substantially higher in the United States compared with Canada, despite shorter lengths of stay and similar clinical outcomes. The difference in total treatment costs between Canadian and American hospitals was partially attributable to differences in direct costs, but was largely due to differences in overhead costs.
authors: Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, Jewish General Hospital/McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: Anya C
authors: AC
authors: Brox
authors: Kristian B
authors: KB
authors: Filion
authors: Xun
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Louise
authors: L
authors: Pilote
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Obrand
authors: Seema
authors: S
authors: Haider
authors: Arik
authors: A
authors: Azoulay
authors: Mark J
authors: MJ
authors: Eisenberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000191:economics* / Q000601:surgery; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D014481:United States; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods