• Sigismond Lasocki, Anissa Belbachir, Paul-Michel Mertes, Eric Le Pelley, and Xavier Capdevila.
• From the Département Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Angers, Angers, France.
• Anesth. Analg. 2023 Jul 1; 137 (1): 182190182-190.

BackgroundAssessment of anemia and iron deficiency before surgery is pivotal for patient blood management (PBM), but few data on current practices are available in the French context. The objective of this study was to describe anemia and iron deficiency management and blood transfusion use in surgical departments in France.MethodsThis was a national multicenter cross-sectional study in 13 public hospitals and 3 private ones (all with an interest for PBM). Data of consecutive surgical patients from different specialties were retrieved from their chart between July 30, 2019, and December 31, 2021. Data included hemoglobin, iron workup, treatment with oral/intravenous iron or erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, and transfusions.ResultsData from 2345 patients (median age, 68 years; women, 50.9%; American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] physical status III-IV, 35.4%) were obtained. Only 5 centers had a formalized PBM program. At preoperative anesthesia visit, hemoglobin (Hb) level was assessed in 2112 (90.1%) patients and anemia diagnosed in 722 of them (34.2%). Complete iron workup was performed in 715 (30.5%) of the 2345 patients. Iron deficiency anemia was present in 219 (30.3%) of the 722 anemic patients. Among patients with anemia, only 217 (30.1%) of them were treated. A total of 479 perioperative blood transfusions were reported in 315 patients. Restrictive transfusion was not applied in 50% of transfusion episodes, and the single-unit red blood cell transfusion was also not frequent (37.2%).ConclusionsOur observational study showed that preoperative anemia was frequent, but iron deficiency was often not assessed and few patients were treated. There is an urgent need for PBM implementation in these centers.Copyright © 2023 International Anesthesia Research Society.

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