Acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) remains a common indication for hospital admission. Differences in the structure, process and outcomes of care in the management of acute nonvariceal UGIH between providers in Canada and the United States have not been previously characterized. The aim of the present study was to compare the structure, process and outcomes of care between a Canadian and an American tertiary care medical centre in the management of acute nonvariceal UGIH.
Data were collected from identified cases of acute non-variceal UGIH at the two medical centres over two years. Process measures analyzed included the level of care (intensive care unit [ICU] monitored bed versus unmonitored bed) and hospital length of stay (HLOS). Outcomes assessed included rebleeding, inhospital mortality and readmission and/or death within 30 days of admission.
One hundred seventy-five and 83 cases of acute non-variceal UGIH were identified at the American and Canadian centres, respectively. Cases at the American centre had a lower median HLOS, (2.6 versus 3.9 days, P