Outcomes Associated with Conventional Accelerated Versus Once-Weekly IV Iron Therapy in Outpatients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Abstract

Although parenteral iron replacement is a key aspect of managing anemia in patients who are undergoing hemodialysis, studies evaluating novel iron dosing regimens are scarce. To compare the effectiveness of a once-weekly IV iron dosing strategy with that of a conventional accelerated iron dosing regimen in patients undergoing hemodialysis. In this retrospective cohort study, patient-specific information was collected for individuals undergoing hemodialysis who received IV iron between June 1, 2010, and June 30, 2012, at a community hospital in southwestern Ontario. The primary outcomes were hemoglobin level and utilization of an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent for 2 groups of patients: those receiving iron according to a once-weekly IV regimen and those receiving iron by a conventional accelerated IV regimen. Of the 148 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 99 (66.9%) received iron by a conventional accelerated regimen and 49 (33.1%) by a once-weekly IV regimen. Generalized estimating equations developed from 313 observations obtained from these 148 patients suggested that average transferrin saturation percentage and iron concentration were both significantly higher in the group that received iron once weekly than in the group that received iron by the conventional accelerated regimen (p = 0.014 and 0.008, respectively). The mean weekly dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent was significantly lower in the once-weekly administration group than in the conventional administration group (7419 versus 10 706 units; p = 0.041). The 2 groups did not differ significantly in terms of hemoglobin concentration (p = 0.46) or ferritin level (p = 0.13). The findings of this study suggest that a once-weekly iron dosing regimen may be superior to a conventional accelerated dosing regimen for managing iron deficiency anemia in patients who are undergoing hemodialysis.