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Objective To determine whether drug-eluting stent (DES) use varies among Scottish hospitals, and the extent to which any variations are explained by differences between operators, patients and lesions. Methods Multi-level analysis of consecutive patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between April 2005 and March 2006 in Scotland, using the Scottish Coronary Revascularization Registry. Results A total of 38 operators performed 5967 PCI procedures on 8489 lesions. Crude level of DES use was 47.6%, and the results varied among hospitals (range 30.6–61.8%, χ2 = 341.6, P Conclusions Within Scotland, marked variation existed among hospitals in the use of DES. Operator was the most important factor at patient level, and hospital of treatment, rather than case-mix, was the most important modifier of between-operator variation. Patient selection for DES is complex and may contribute to much of the variations demonstrated. Consensus criteria would provide more detail than is included in current guidance, may aid decision-making for individual patients, reduce opportunity costs and ensure equity of access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]