OUTCOMES RESEARCH IN REVIEW Smoking Ban Significantly Reduces Acute Coronary Syndrome Admissions

Objective. To prospectively compare the number of admis-sions for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) before and after implementation of legislation banning smoking in enclosed public places. Design. Quasi-experimental observational study with pro-spective data collection. Setting and participants. Data were prospectively collected on all patients admitted with ACS to 9 hospitals across Scotland 10 months before implementation of the indoor smoking ban (June 2005–March 2006) and 10 months after the ban (June 2006–March 2007). The hospitals accounted for 63 % and 64 % of ACS admissions in Scotland before and after the ban, respectively. Study research nurses obtained daily lists of patients who had troponin levels measured for acute chest pain admissions. After obtaining informe