Studies assessing the effect of preoperative iron supplementation in paediatric cardiac surgery are limited and yield conflicting data.

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of preoperative oral iron supplementation on allogeneic blood transfusion after cardiac surgery for acyanotic CHD.

This was a prospective, open-label, outcome assessor-blinded, randomised clinical trial performed in a large tertiary care centre in India. Children (haemoglobin <13 gm/dl) with acyanotic CHD were recruited for the study. Children in the intervention arm received colloidal iron (3 mg/kg), folic acid, and cyanocobalamin according to body weight for at least 7 days before cardiac surgery. The primary outcome was the amount of allogeneic blood transfusion, while secondary outcome measures were the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay.

A total of eighty-six children (43 in each arm) completed the trials. A total of 43 children received iron supplementation for a minimum of 1 month. The haemoglobin level improved by 1.3 gm/dl immediately before the cardiac surgery in the intervention arm. The allogeneic blood transfusions (ml/kg) median (IQR) were significantly lower in the intervention group (5 (0–8) vs 10 (8–12); p < 0.01). Furthermore, total cumulative allogeneic blood transfusion was also significantly lower in the intervention arm (60 ml; (0–100) vs 100 ml; (70–140); p < 0.001). The duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, and hospital stay was significantly lower in the intervention arm.

Preoperative oral iron supplementation significantly reduces the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in children undergoing cardiac surgery for acyanotic heart disease.