There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .
Postoperative intravenous iron used alone or in combination with low-dose erythropoietin is not effective for correction of anemia after cardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine whether intravenous iron III-hydroxide sucrose complex ( IHSC ) used alone was sufficient to provide rapid correction of anemia after cardiac surgery and whether additional stimulation of erythropoiesis is possible by means of a single low dose of recombinant-human erythropoietin ( r-HuEPO ) administration . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind study . SETTING The study was conducted in a university hospital . PARTICIPANTS One hundred twenty American Society of Anesthesiologists II or III patients , who underwent elective cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass and in whom postpump hemoglobin ranged between 7 and 10 g/dL. INTERVENTIONS Patients were divided into 3 groups : group I = control ; group II received postoperative intravenous iron supplementation with an iron III-hydroxide sucrose complex ( IHSC ) ; and group III received IV iron and a single dose of r-HuEPO ( 300 U/kg ) . MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS No significant difference in transfusion needs was observed among the 3 groups ( 22 % , 25 % , and 17 % of patients transfused in groups I , II , and III , respectively ) . Hemoglobin levels , reticulocyte counts , and serum ferritin levels were evaluated at different time intervals ( until day 30 postoperatively ) . No side effects because of iron administration were noted in the study . Reticulocyte counts increased rapidly at day 5 ( 2.24 % + /- 1.11 % , 1.99 % + /- 1.44 % , and 3.84 % + /- 2.02 % in groups I , II , and III , respectively ) and decreased after day 15 in the 3 groups . Ferritin levels increased significantly at day 5 in the 2 treated groups ( 899.33 + /- 321.55 ng/mL in group II , 845.75 + /- 289.96 ng/mL in group III v 463.15 + /- 227.74 ng/mL in group I ) . In group I , ferritin levels , after a slight elevation on day 5 , decreased at day 15 to lower than baseline levels . No significant difference in hemoglobin increase was noted among the 3 groups . CONCLUSION Postoperative intravenous iron supplementation alone or in combination with a single dose of r-HuEPO ( 300 U/kg ) is not effective in correcting anemia after cardiac surgery
There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .