Intravenous iron versus blood transfusion for postpartum anemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Intravenous iron (IV-iron) is used as an alternative to, or alongside, red blood cell transfusion (RBC-T) to treat more severe postpartum anemia (PPA), although optimal treatment options remain unclear. No previous systematic reviews have examined IV-iron and RBC-T, including patient-reported outcomes and hematological responses.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing IV-iron and RBC-T with each other, oral iron, no treatment, and placebo for the treatment of PPA.

The fatigue after infusion or transfusion pilot trial and feasibility study: A three-armed randomized pilot trial of intravenous iron and blood transfusion for the treatment of postpartum anemia.

Background: Evidence for the management of moderate-to-severe postpartum anemia is limited. A randomized trial is needed; recruitment may be challenging.

Study Design And Methods: Randomized pilot trial with feasibility surveys.

Postpartum anaemia in three New Zealand district health board regions: An observational study of incidence and management.

Background: The incidence of postpartum anaemia (PPA) in New Zealand, and the extent of intravenous iron (IV-iron) use in its treatment, are unknown.

Aims: To report the incidence of PPA in three district health board (DHB) regions and describe current management of moderate to severe PPA, including by ethnicity.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective observational study of PPA (haemoglobin (Hb) <100 g/L) in three DHBs from July-December 2019.

The challenge of defining and treating anemia and iron deficiency in pregnancy: A study of New Zealand midwives' management of iron status in pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Background: Early recognition and management of low maternal iron status is associated with improved maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. However, existing international guidelines for the testing and management of maternal iron-deficiency anemia are variable, with no national guideline for New Zealand midwives. Clinical management is complicated by normal physiological hemodilution, and complicated further by the effects of inflammation on iron metabolism, especially in populations with a high prevalence of obesity or infection.