Preoperative Anemia Management Research Articles

Preoperative management of anemia to avoid blood transfusion

Women needing hysterectomy often present with moderate-to-severe anemia secondary to menorrhagia resulting from benign uterine conditions. Hence many of such patients receive blood transfusion before they undergo surgery. However it seems more logical to raise their hemoglobin to an acceptable level with effective medical therapy arrest uterine bleeding and perform hysterectomy at an optimum time. This retrospective study included 370 women with hemoglobin level ranging from 5 to <10 g/dl who were scheduled to undergo hysterectomy for menorrhagia. After women reached desired hemoglobin levels of 8-10 g/dl they all underwent a planned hysterectomy. Overall speedy recovery and discharge between 48-74 hours occurred for all women except those who had a repair necessitating a self-retaining catheter for a longer period or who underwent abdominal hysterectomy. In view of the dangers of blood transfusion the researchers strongly believe that every menorrhagic woman needing hysterectomy should avoid the use of such treatment to raise her hemoglobin levels wherever possible. Rather moderate-to-severe anemia should be treated medically until hemoglobin levels reaches at least 9-10 g/dl.