Preoperative screening and intervention for mild anemia with low iron stores in elective hip and knee arthroplasty.

Background: Preoperative anemia in patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty is associated with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality, red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, and length of stay (LOS). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of optimizing hemoglobin (Hb) levels before elective primary hip and knee arthroplasty.

Study Design And Methods: This is a prospective comparative cohort study of patients who underwent elective hip and knee arthroplasty before (control) and after (intervention) the launch of a Hb optimization program.