Ascertainment of VTE, AF, ischemic stroke and ECATE
The validation of AF has been assessed
and presented in our previous reports, with a
high positive predictive value
(PPV) of 89%.20 The accuracy of VTE was reliable in
the Taiwan insurance claim system and some published studies also used
the same diagnosis method.10,21 Ischemic stroke was
also validated with high PPVs.22In terms of ECATE, a validation
study was conducted at our medical center, randomly sampling 100
hospitalizations for systemic thromboembolism who were selected using
the same criteria as mentioned in this study. After experienced
physicians (YSL and VCCW) reviewed the medical records and all imaging
results, including vascular duplex, computed tomography angiography and
intervention reports, the PPV of systemic thromboembolism was 88% (data
not shown).