An intensive burst of treatment for anaemia or iron deficiency the day before cardiac surgery reduces perioperative blood transfusions, a single-centre study suggests.

The prospective, randomised controlled trial assessed the “ultra short-term” intervention among 484 patients (mean age 68) scheduled for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve surgery.

Half of the cohort received the combination treatment, comprising intravenous iron, subcutaneous erythropoietin (EPO) alpha, vitamin B12 and oral folic acid, while the remainder were given placebos, reported the German and Swiss researchers.

They found that the combination treatment significantly reduced red blood cell transfusions from a median of one unit to zero units during the first seven days following surgery, and up to 90 days later.