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Anemia is a global health problem affecting approximately 30% of the population.
Preoperative anemia , even when mild, is an independent risk factor that can increase perioperative morbidiity and mortalitity. Anemia is a leading risk factor for allogeneic blood transfusion.
Anemia is defined by the World health Organization as a hemoglobin level below 120g/L in women and 130g/L in men. Specific thesholds apply to pregnant women and children. A surgical procedure with a moderate or high blood loss will further aggravate the anemia and deplete iron stores.
Anemia Management in the Preoperative Setting
A standardized approach for the detection, evaluation and management of anemia in the preoperative setting is an important aspect of an effective Patient Blood Management program.
Even though Patient Blood management should be tailored to the patient, algorithms for anemia management prior to surgery are useful. The algorithm below was developed by the ONTraC Coordinators. (Note A printable version can be found under resources)
 
Preoperative Assessment
Patients undergoing elective surgery need to be evaluated as early as possible to coordinate scheduling of surgery with the optimisation of the patient's hemoglobin and iron stores. This should occur a minimum of 3 - 4 weeks before the surgery date
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