• Noah Betar, Jacelle Warren, John Adams, Danielle Herbert, Elizabeth Vujcich, Peter Maitz, and Jason Brown.
• The Professor Stuart Pegg Adult Burns Centre, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: noah.betar@health.qld.gov.au.
• Burns. 2023 Jun 1; 49 (4): 813819813-819.

PurposeIntravenous iron is an effective treatment for anaemia in many populations but has not been evaluated in those with burn anaemia. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous iron to manage burn anaemia.MethodologyThis was a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital with burns to at least 15% total body surface area (TBSA). Data collected from patient records included demographics, treatment details, and outcomes including length of stay, blood transfusions, and serum haemoglobin concentrations. Linear mixed effects regression models were used to assess the effect of treatment with intravenous iron on haemoglobin over time.ResultsSixty patients met inclusion criteria, with 11 (18%) treated using intravenous iron. Those treated with intravenous iron had higher TBSA burns (median 39% vs 18%, P = 0.0005), more operations (3 vs 1, P = 0.0012), and more blood transfusions (median 8 units vs 0 units, P = 0.0002). One patient (9%) experienced a minor adverse drug reaction from intravenous iron. When examining the change in modelled haemoglobin levels over the first 14 days following the last major operation, the change in the intravenous iron group (11.22 g/L) was 14.56 g/L greater than the change in the group not receiving intravenous iron (-3.34 g/L, P = 0.0282).ConclusionThis exploratory study provides preliminary evidence of benefit and safety of intravenous iron treatment on burn anaemia recovery.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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