Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: John A. Heit, Kent R. Bailey, L. Joseph Melton
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2006)

Letters21 March 2006Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous ThromboembolismJohn A. Heit, MD, Kent R. Bailey, PhD, and L. Joseph Melton III, MD, MPHJohn A. Heit, MDFrom Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905.Search for more papers by this author, Kent R. Bailey, PhDFrom Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905.Search for more papers by this author, and L. Joseph Melton III, MD, MPHFrom Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-144-6-200603210-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. MacCallum and coworkers argue that we incorrectly reported our venous thromboembolism incidence rates for the first and second postpartum weeks as 3.6% and 1.5%, respectively, because of incorrect denominator calculations. The denominator calculations were based on the total number of live births in Olmsted County (n = 50 080) and “period at risk” definitions of 9 and 3 months for pregnancy and the postpartum period, respectively. A 1-week period of risk is 1/52 of a year (0.019), such that the woman-years at risk during the first postpartum week were 0.019 times the number of live births (0.019 × 50 080 = 951 ...References1. White RH, Zhou H, Romano PS. Incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism after different elective or urgent surgical procedures. Thromb Haemost. 2003;90:446-55. [PMID: 12958614] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Danilenko-Dixon DR, Heit JA, Silverstein MD, Yawn BP, Petterson TM, Lohse CM, et al. Risk factors for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism during pregnancy or post partum: a population-based, case–control study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001;184:104-10. [PMID: 11174488] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Stein PD, Hull RD, Kayali F, Olson RE, Alshab AK, Meyers FA, et al. Venous thromboembolism in pregnancy: 21-year trends. Am J Med. 2004;117:121-5. [PMID: 15234649] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. White RH, Brickner LA, Scannell KA. ICD-9-CM codes poorly identified venous thromboembolism during pregnancy. J Clin Epidemiol. 2004;57:985-8. [PMID: 15504642] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTrends in the Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism during Pregnancy or Postpartum: A 30-Year Population-Based Study John A. Heit , Catie E. Kobbervig , Andra H. James , Tanya M. Petterson , Kent R. Bailey , and L. Joseph Melton III Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Peter K. MacCallum , Enid M. Hennessey , and Shohreh Beski Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Vijay Rajput and Huma Q. Rana Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Paul D. Stein , Fadi Kayali , Allen Silbergleit , Russell D. Hull , Ronald E. Olson , and Frederick A. Meyers Metrics 21 March 2006Volume 144, Issue 6Page: 454-455KeywordsBirthCesarean sectionMedical risk factorsPregnancyProphylaxisResearch designSurgeryTotal hip replacementVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 21 March 2006 Issue Published: 21 March 2006 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2006 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...