Preoperative Iron Infusion Works Better than Blood Transfusion for Some Anemia Patients

Preoperative oral iron may benefit prospective surgical patients with mild-to-moderate anemia, if there is sufficient time before the scheduled intervention (on average between 6 to 8 weeks) and the patients can adequately tolerate oral iron preparations. In contrast, intravenous (IV) iron is preferentially used in cases of moderate-to-severe iron deficiency anemia and may be used in combination erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for a relatively short time to surgery or nonelective procedures.