OBJECTIVES: Few studies have undertaken a global review of major cardiovascular conditions and events. This review summarizes the current literature for costs of: major cardiovascular diseases/events (angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke/transient ischemic attack, peripheral arterial disease); revascularization (coronary, cerebral, or peripheral); coronary heart disease mortality; and cerebrovascular mortality.  METHODS:  A systematic search of the scientific literature from 2007 through 2012 was conducted.  English language articles reporting per-patient average direct medical costs of any cardiovascular event of interest in any country were included.  Cost-effectiveness studies and primary prevention interventions were excluded.  Cost of the event including initial hospitalization (“acute cost”) and any re-hospitalizations or post-event follow-up (“follow-up cost”) along with methodologies of each study were abstracted.  RESULTS: A total of 176 articles representing 30 countries were abstracted. Coronary revascularization (N=46), stroke (N=43), and heart failure (N=31) articles were heavily represented.  Acute cost estimates varied widely for all conditions/events (2013 USD): angina ($1,004-8,380); myocardial infarction ($570-$31,321); coronary revascularizations ($240-$129,747);  heart failure ($536-$28,176); stroke ($577-$167,378); cerebral revascularizations ($7037-$57,884) peripheral arterial disease ($1241-23,144); peripheral revascularizations ($2297-$129,865); coronary heart disease inpatient mortality ($7,030-$25,556); cerebrovascular disease inpatient mortality ($6,197-$40,141). Similarly, wide variation was found for follow-up cost estimates, based on time horizons that range from 30-day re-hospitalization to the remainder of life post-initial event. The majority of studies were specific to the United States; for countries other than the US, cost estimates for each event were much less robust. Methodological differences between articles limit comparability of costs. CONCLUSIONS:  Though estimates vary, the significant economic burden of these cardiovascular events is evident. A lack of robust literature in some conditions and countries combined with significant heterogeneity of study design and reporting makes comparison of cardiovascular event costs difficult. New research should identify a representative sample using study designs that allow for comparability.