Prevalence of Anemia in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery and Need for Transfusion During Surgery Regarding Hemoglobin Levels in Rajaie Heart Center

Background: Bleeding occurs during and after cardiac surgery, resulting in postoperative anemia. If patients have preoperative anemia, the need for blood transfusion increases. Transfusion is associated with several complications. Methods: In this study, severe anemia was defined as hemoglobin (Hb) < 8 g/dL, moderate anemia was defined as Hb = 8–10 g/dL, and mild anemia was defined as Hb = 10–12 g/dL for women and Hb = 10–13 g/dL for men. In the entire study population, the need for transfusion according to the Hb level and the amount of blood transfusion were evaluated. The study aimed to determine the association between anemia and the patients’ age, sex, type of surgery, and weight. Results: In this study, 306 patients were evaluated in a 3-month period. The mean Hb level of the patients was 13.1 g/dL (12.08–14.2), and the mean hematocrit level was 39.5% (36.17–42.15). Anemia was reported in 32.4% of the patients (Hb < 12 g/dL for women and Hb < 13 g/dL for men). According to the anemia classification, 90.9% of the anemic patients had mild anemia, 8.1% moderate anemia, and 1% severe anemia. Of the 306 patients, 68.6% did not need to receive packed red blood cells. Additionally, of the 207 patients who were not included in the anemia group, 44 (21.2%) cases received packed red blood cells due to surgical bleeding. However, of the 99 patients who were anemic, 52 (52.52%) cases needed packed red blood cells. Conclusions: In the present investigation, about one-third of the study population had anemia before surgery and these patients required blood transfusion 2.5 times more than those without anemia.