title: Hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction before and after implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free policy in Uruguay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stimulated by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, many countries in Latin America adopted comprehensive smoke-free policies. In March 2006, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to adopt 100% smoke-free national legislation, which ended smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease 2 years before and 2 years after the policy was implemented in Uruguay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reports of hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (International Classification of Disease-10 I21) from 37 hospitals (79% of all hospital admissions in the country), representing the period 2 years before and 2 years after the adoption of a nationwide smoke-free policy in Uruguay (between 1 March 2004 and 29 February 2008), were reviewed. A time series analysis was undertaken to compare the average monthly number of events of hospital admission for AMI before and after the smoke-free law.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 7949 hospital admissions for AMI were identified during the 4-year study period. Two years after the smoke-free policy was enacted, hospital admissions for AMI fell by 22%. The same pattern and roughly the same magnitude of reduction in AMI admissions were observed for patients seen in public and private hospitals, men, women and people aged 40-65 years and older than 65 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The national smoke-free policy implemented in Uruguay in 2006 was associated with a significant reduction in hospital admissions for AMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA. ernesto.sebrie@roswellpark.org
authors.forename: Ernesto Marcelo
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sebrié
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sandoya
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hyland
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: Stanton A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Glantz
authors.forename: K Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Cummings
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution