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Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous iron treatment, with or without associated erythropoietin (rHuEPO), measured as haemoglobin (Hb) increase. The relationships between the Hb increase and parameters used to evaluate anaemia were analysed., Material and Method: Retrospective observational study carried out in two third-level hospitals between January 2005 and December 2009. The study included patients with iron deficiency anaemia scheduled for elective orthopaedic surgery and treated with intravenous iron sucrose alone or associated with rHuEPO. Treatment efficacy was analysed based on the Hb increase from baseline to just before surgery., Results: A total of 412 patients who received a median of 800mg of iron sucrose were included; 125 of them (30.4%) additionally received 2.4 vials of rHuEPO. The Hb increase was 0.8 (1.1) g/dL in patients treated with intravenous iron and 1.5 (1.3) g/dL in those additionally given rHuEPO(P<.01). The percentage of hypochromic red blood cells (r=0.52) and soluble transferrin receptor (r=0.59) value were significantly correlated to the Hb increase in patients receiving iron., Conclusions: In patients with iron deficiency anaemia, the effectiveness of iron sucrose treatment to optimize Hb before surgery was moderate; adjuvant administration of erythropoietin improved the results. Determination of functional iron status parameters may improve the treatment effectiveness., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Optimization of the preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level is an effective way to reduce allogeneic transfusion in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) though the procedure is expensive, requires close monitoring and is often inconvenient for patients with reduced mobility. Our aim was to investigate the value of preoperative Hb levels to predict transfusion and thereby tailoring Hb optimization to patient characteristics., Materials and Methods: All consecutive patients who undergone primary TKA in our center over 2 years, and received tranexamic acid intraoperatively, were reviewed. The adjusted association between preoperative Hb levels and transfusion was assessed by multivariate logistic regression, and the estimated probability of transfusion for individual patients was derived from the logistic model., Results: Out of the 784 patients who meet the inclusion criteria, risk of transfusion was associated with poorer performance status, as measured by the America Association of Anestesiology (ASA) score III/IV (OR: 3·3, P < 0·001) and lower preoperative Hb level (OR 3·8 for each g/dl below 13 g/dl; P < 0·001). According to the Hb level, the estimated probability of transfusion was 0·03 (range: 0·03-0·64) for ASA I/II patients and 0·10 (range: 0·10-0·84) for ASA III/IV., Conclusion: Not all the patients undergoing TKA who receive tranexamic acid need the same preoperative Hb optimization target. Two easily available factors, such as the ASA score and the Hb level, can help individualize the Hb optimization target., (© 2014 International Society of Blood Transfusion.)