Postoperative intravenous iron to treat iron-deficiency anaemia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a protocol for a pilot, multicentre, placebo-controlled randomized trial (the POAM trial)

Iron-deficiency anaemia, occurring in 30-40% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, is an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes. Our long-term goal is to assess if postoperative i.v. iron therapy improves clinical outcomes in patients with preoperative iron-deficiency anaemia undergoing cardiac surgery. Before conducting a definitive RCT, we first propose a multicentre pilot trial to establish the feasibility of the definitive trial.