Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Randomised Double-blind Controlled Phase III Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose With Placebo in Patients With Anaemia Undergoing Major Open Abdominal Surgery
Brief Summary: Anaemia is a common problem in patients undergoing surgery. About half of patients undergoing a major operation have anaemia, often a consequence of the disease requiring surgery. Anaemia causes patients to feel tired and unwell. Anaemia at the time of surgery increases the requirement for blood transfusion (50% if anaemic compared to only 15% without anaemia). Both anaemia and blood transfusions are associated with increased complications from surgery, delayed recovery and prolonged hospital stay. The investigators propose that giving intravenous iron before operation can be used to correct anaemia in these patients. Consequently if patients are not anaemic they are less likely to need blood transfusion. Also patients feel better and their health is improved before their operation they are more likely to tolerate the surgery, recover faster, be less likely to have complications from surgery and return home sooner. This will have benefits to the individual patient and also to the NHS by reducing costs.

Oral Iron tablets are not effective as they take 3-6 months to increase blood levels, the tablets are often not tolerated as cause constipation or stomach pain, overall only 30-50% of people continue taking oral iron. A full treatment dose of intravenous iron can be given in 15 minutes with minimal side effects. The effect is to rapidly increase blood counts in 2-4 weeks. The investigators propose that this treatment can be incorporated to patient preparation pathways for surgery as an outpatient without the need for additional visits to hospital.

Small studies have suggested a benefit of iron therapy in orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery. This study will look at 500 patients undergoing major surgery at 20 hospitals in the UK. The investigators anticipate half of patients treated will have their anaemia corrected before operation. Patients with anaemia will be identified as part of the routine blood tests taken preoperatively and invited to take part in the study. Following informed consent, they will be randomly allocated to receive either intravenous iron or a placebo infusion of saline. Intravenous iron is a dark liquid given continuously into a vein over 15 minutes. To ensure neither doctor nor patient knows which treatment is being given both infusions will be prepared and administered by an unblinded authorised person via a black bag through black tubing. There will be no other changes to the patient's normal treatment.

The main aim of this study is to assess if intravenous iron will reduce the need for blood transfusion in the time period around the operation. Further outcome measures will include; patient-reported quality of life, complications, length of hospital stay, and cost. Outcomes will be assessed both during hospital stay and after the patient has been discharged. The trial will be run through a Clinical Trials Unit with considerable experience in conducting large trials. The team has a large range of experience in anaemia management and assessment of complications, quality of life and the cost of health care.

The main aim of this study is to assess if intravenous iron will reduce the need for blood transfusion in the time period around the operation. Further outcome measures will include; patient-reported quality of life, complications, length of hospital stay, and cost. Outcomes will be assessed both during hospital stay and after the patient has been discharged. The trial will be run through a Clinical Trials Unit with considerable experience in conducting large trials. The team has a large range of experience in anaemia management and assessment of complications, quality of life and the cost of health care.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* In New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III functional class due to stable symptomatic chronic heart failure (CHF)
* Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 40% or lower for patients in NYHA II and 45% or lower in NYHA III
* Screening haemoglobin (Hb) at least 9.5 g/dL but below or equal to 13.5 g/dL (average of 2 haemoglobin concentrations)
* Screening ferritin below 100 µg/L, or below 300 µg/L when transferrin saturation (TSAT) is below 20%

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of acquired iron overload.
* Known active infection, clinically significant bleeding, active malignancy.
* Chronic liver disease and/or screening alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST)
* Anaemia due to reasons other than iron deficiency
* Immunosuppressive therapy or renal dialysis (current or planned within the next 6 months).
* History of erythropoietin, i.v. or oral iron therapy, and blood transfusion in previous 12 weeks and/or such therapy planned within the next 6 months.
* Unstable angina pectoris as judged by the investigator, clinically significant uncorrected valvular disease or left ventricular outflow obstruction, obstructive cardiomyopathy, poorly controlled fast atrial fibrillation or flutter, poorly controlled symptomatic brady- or tachyarrhythmias.
* Acute myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndrome, transient ischaemic attack or stroke within the last 3 months.
* Coronary-artery bypass graft, percutaneous intervention (e.g. cardiac, cerebrovascular, aortic; diagnostic catheters are allowed) or major surgery, including thoracic and cardiac surgery, within the last 3 months.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

1. At least 18 years of age and signed written informed consent.
2. Patients undergoing elective major open abdominal surgery.

   * The Indication for operation may be for benign or malignant disease.
   * Major Surgery is defined as an operation of anticipated duration more than one hour.
3. Screening haemoglobin (Hb) greater than or equal to 90 g/L (9.0 g/dL) but below or equal to 120 g/L (12.0 g/dL) in women or 130 g/L (13.0 g/dL) in men within four weeks of randomisation.
4. Randomisation and administration of study infusion a minimum of 10 days and maximum 42 days before planned operation.
5. Negative pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential (within last 7 days), and agree to use effective form of contraception until 6 weeks post treatment.
6. Laboratory data used for determination of eligibility at the baseline visit must not be older than four weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
2. Body weight under 50kg.
3. Known history of acquired iron overload, or family history of haemochromatosis or thalassemia or TSAT \> 50%.
4. Known reason for anaemia (e.g. untreated B12 or folate deficiency or haemoglobinopathy).
5. Known hypersensitivity to ferric carboxymaltose (Ferinject®) or its excipients.
6. Temperature \> 37.5 degrees celsius or patient on non-prophylactic antibiotics
7. Known chronic liver disease
8. If clinically indicated for the patient to have LFT's as part of pre-assessment for surgery and this screening alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST) is above three times the upper limit of the normal range.
9. Received erythropoietin or i.v. iron therapy in the previous 12 weeks.
10. Immunosuppressive therapy (for organ transplantation) or renal dialysis (current or planned within the next 12 months).
11. Patients with severe asthma or severe allergy (requiring hospitalisation within the last 12 months).
12. Unfit for elective surgery.
13. Pregnancy or lactation.
14. Inability to fully comprehend and/or perform study procedures in the investigator's opinion.
15. Patient involvement in another IMP trial within the previous 4 weeks, prior to randomisation. Involvement in another IMP trial, following randomisation, that may impact on the results of the PREVENTT trial.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women ≥ 18 years of age
* Patients subject to elective cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation
* Patients without previous anaemia, susceptible of treatment
* Patients without need of blood transfusion preoperative
* Patients providing written informed consent
* Patients who are able to complete all study visits per protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients subject to elective cardiac surgery, but without extracorporeal circulation
* Patients who were treated with fibrinolytic therapy 48 hours before the surgery
* Patients with history of impaired renal function, (e.g., calculated creatinine clearance \<50 mL/min/1.73 m2)
* Patients operated of active endocarditis
* Redo-surgery patients
* Women who are pregnant or lactating
* Patients with clinical of digestive bleeding
* Patients with vitamin B12 deficit
* Patients with ferropenic anaemia
* Patients with clinical history of asthma or allergy
* Patients with active infection
* Patients who are included in another clinical study
* Patients with hepatic disease
* Patients with history of allergy to iron
* Patients unlikely to adhere to protocol follow-up
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* ≥21 years of age and have signed written informed consent
* Stable symptomatic CHF; NYHA III/IV and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%, or if NYHA II then LVEF must be ≤35%, as assessed within last 6 months using echocardiographic or magnetic resonance imaging techniques.
* On optimal conventional therapy for at least 4 weeks prior to recruitment and without dose changes for at least 2 weeks.
* Peak VO2 ≤ 18 ml/kg/min on modified Naughton protocol cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
* Mean of the 2 screening Hb concentrations (week-2 and week-1) \< 12.5 g/dl (anaemic group, 50% of study population) or 12.5-14.0 g/dl (non-anaemic group, 50% of study population).
* Ferritin \<100 µg/l or 100-300 µg/l with TSAT \<20%.
* Normal red cell folate and vitamin B12 status (according to local lab reference range).
* Resting blood pressure ≤160/100 mmHg.

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of acquired iron overload; known haemochromatosis or first relatives with haemochromatosis; and allergic disorders (asthma, eczema, and anaphylactic reactions).
* Known hypersensitivity to parental iron preparations.
* Known active infection, bleeding, malignancy and haemolytic anaemia.
* History of chronic liver disease and/or alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST) \>3 times the upper limit of the normal range; chronic lung disease; myelodysplastic disorder; and known HIV/AIDS disease.
* Recipient of immunosuppressive therapy or renal dialysis.
* History of erythropoietin, IV or oral iron therapy, and blood transfusion in previous 30 days.
* Unstable angina pectoris, as judged by the investigator; severe uncorrected valvular disease or left ventricular outflow obstruction; obstructive cardiomyopathy; uncontrolled fast atrial fibrillation or flutter (heart rate \>110 beats per minute \[bpm\]); uncontrolled symptomatic brady- or tachyarrhythmias.
* Musculoskeletal limitation that, in the judgement of the investigator, would impair cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
* Pregnant or breast-feeding
* Inability to comprehend study protocol
* Parallel participation in another clinical trial

Answer: B