Optimizing preoperative haemoglobin with intravenous iron

despite the limitations of any observational
study, and the need to be confirmed in a prospective trial,
determination of functional status, other than transferrin
saturation, seems to be of greater help to the clinician for
indicating iron in this population, and provide a more reliable
prediction of efficacy than other iron deficiency-related
measures. Although we believe that it is necessary to
determine ferritin concentration levels, because it provides
information on the patient’s iron stores and excludes
those with high levels before i.v. iron is administered, we
suggest incorporating functional parameters in the preoperative
workup as an aid to deciding the appropriateness
of this treatment.