Anaesthesia
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Multicenter Study
Pre-operative haemoglobin levels and iron status in a large multicentre cohort of patients undergoing major elective surgery.
Pre-operative anaemia in patients undergoing major surgical procedures has been linked to poor outcomes. Therefore, early detection and treatment of pre-operative anaemia is recommended. However, to effectively implement a pre-operative anaemia management protocol, an estimation of its prevalence and main causes is needed. ⋯ Over two-thirds of anaemic patients presented with absolute iron deficiency or iron sequestration. Over half of non-anaemic patients presented with absolute iron deficiency or low iron stores. We consider these data useful for planning pre-operative management of patients scheduled for major elective surgery.