Intravenous transfusion of iron sucrose reduces blood transfusions and improves postoperative anaemia after a second thoracotomy: a propensity-score matching study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous iron sucrose (IS) in the perioperative period of a second thoracotomy after open-heart surgery. METHODS: This study enrolled patients that underwent a second thoracotomy after previous open-heart surgery. Propensity-score matching was used to match patients that received oral iron therapy with those that received IS after admission. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, perioperative data and adverse outcomes were compared between these two matched groups. RESULTS: The study enrolled 447 patients: of these, 148 received oral iron therapy and effective dietary guidance; and 299 patients received 300 mg IS per week. After matching the propensity scores, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, smoking history, incidence of major cardiac adverse events, Euro-score, time between the two thoracotomies, application of recombinant erythropoietin, haemoglobin (Hb) on admission and red blood cell (RBC) count on admission. The differences between the two groups after propensity-score matching in terms of the amount of RBC input and Hb after the operation were significant. CONCLUSION: The administration of IS might be useful for improving postoperative Hb levels and reducing intraoperative RBC input in patients undergoing a second thoracotomy.