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Incidence of Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism
- John A. Heit, MD;
- Kent R. Bailey, PhD; and
- L. Joseph Melton III, MD, MPH
- From Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905.
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 woman-years). …
