Transfusion medicine reviews
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Postoperative anemia is a common occurrence in surgical patients and leads to an increased risk for allogeneic blood transfusions. The efficacy of iron therapy in treating postoperative anemia has not been firmly established. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative oral and intravenous (IV) iron therapy in increasing hemoglobin levels and improving patient outcomes following elective surgery. ⋯ This systematic review found no evidence to support the routine use of postoperative iron therapy in all elective surgery patient populations; however, results are based largely on studies with non-iron-deficient patients preoperatively. Further research on the role of postoperative IV iron is warranted for certain high-risk groups, including patients with iron deficiency or anemia prior to surgery. This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017057837).