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Table 2 Computational times for nested case-control and survival analyses of time-dependent data for cohorts of increasing sizes: Models* of the risk of pacemaker insertion in elderly Quebec residents with atrial fibrillation

From: Comparison of nested case-control and survival analysis methodologies for analysis of time-dependent exposure

Cohort Size†: #Subjects (#Cases)

1340 (53)

2680 (106)

5360 (212)

10720 (424)

21440 (848)

42880 (1696)

Cohort Size: multiple of original

1

2

4

8

16

32

CPU‡ Time (seconds):

      

   Nested: 4 Controls per Case

0.03

0.05

0.07

0.11

0.18

0.4

   Nested: 32 Controls per Case

0.08

0.1

0.2

0.41

0.7

1.49

   Survival Analysis

1.26

2.51

5.06

9.54

19.53

49.91

CPU Time (multiple of Nested 4):

      

   Nested: 4 Controls per Case

1

1

1

1

1

1

   Nested: 32 Controls per Case

3

2

3

4

4

4

   Survival Analysis

42

50

72

87

109

125

  1. * All models included four fixed variables (age, sex, calendar year of cohort entry, and baseline sinus node or conduction disorder) and seven time-dependent variables (amiodarone dose, ventricular arrhythmia, and exposure to sotalol, class I antiarrhythmic agents, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and digoxin).
  2. † The original cohort of 1340 subjects was increased by progressive duplication to 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 times its original size.
  3. ‡ CPU, central processing unit.
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BMC Medical Research Methodology

ISSN: 1471-2288

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