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Abstract

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Sir: Venous thromboembolism, including deep vein thrombosisand pulmonary embolism, is a significant cause of morbidityand mortality in hospitalized patients. Although theincidence in psychiatric inpatients has not been well studied,hospitalized patients in a psychiatric ward commonly have severalrisk factors for deep vein thromboembolism such as increasedbody weight, dehydration, prolonged hospitalization,use of antipsychotics, and immobilization due to sedative administrationor mechanical restraints.1