Postoperative intravenous iron used alone or in combination with low-dose erythropoietin is not effective for correction of anemia after cardiac surgery.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether intravenous iron III-hydroxide sucrose complex (IHSC) used alone was sufficient to provide rapid correction of anemia after cardiac surgery and whether additional stimulation of erythropoiesis is possible by means of a single low dose of recombinant-human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) administration.

Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study.

Setting: The study was conducted in a university hospital.