Preoperative Anemia Screening and Treatment: Is It Worth the Return on Investment?

Return on Investment of Preoperative Anemia Management Programs in Cardiac Surgery: An Advisory From the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Clinical Practice Improvement Committee With Endorsement by the Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management

Despite multiple recent guidelines recommending the diagnosis and treatment of anemia before elective cardiac surgery, few institutions have formal programs or methods in place to accomplish this. A major limitation is the perceived financial shortfall and the leadership buy-in required to undertake such an initiative. The purpose of this advisory from the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) Clinical Practice Improvement Committee with endorsement by the Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management (SABM) is to provide an overview of preoperative anemia management programs with an emphasis on the associated financial implications. This advisory reviews the evidence for preoperative anemia management programs in both cardiac and noncardiac surgery, discusses options for managing preoperative anemia, provides novel financial modeling regarding the implementation of preoperative anemia management programs, and describes implementation challenges, potential solutions, and opportunities for improvement.

Associations of preoperative anaemia with healthcare resource use and outcomes after colorectal surgery: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Preoperative anaemia is common in patient undergoing colorectal surgery. Understanding the population-level costs of preoperative anaemia will inform development and evaluation of anaemia management at health system levels.

METHODS

This was a population-based cohort study using linked, routinely collected data, including residents from Ontario, Canada, aged ≥18 yr who underwent an elective colorectal resection between 2012 and 2022. Primary exposure was preoperative anaemia (haemoglobin <130 g L-1 in males; <120 g L-1 in females). Primary outcome was 30-day costs in 2022 Canadian dollars (CAD), from the perspective of a publicly funded healthcare system. Secondary outcomes included red blood cell transfusion, major adverse events (MAEs), length of stay (LOS), days alive at home (DAH), and readmissions.

RESULTS

We included 54,286 patients, with mean 65.3 (range 18-102) years of age and 49.0% females, among which 21 264 (39.2%) had preoperative anaemia. There was an absolute adjusted cost increase of $2671 per person at 30 days after surgery attributable to preoperative anaemia (ratio of means [RoM] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.06). Compared with the control group, 30-day risks of transfusion (odds ratio [OR] 4.34, 95% CI 4.04-4.66), MAEs (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.27), LOS (RoM 1.08, 95% CI 1.07-1.10), and readmissions (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.24) were higher in the anaemia group, with reduced DAH (RoM 0.95, 95% CI 0.95-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately $2671 CAD per person in 30-day health system costs are attributable to preoperative anaemia after colorectal surgery in Ontario, Canada.

Results from a type two hybrid-effectiveness study to implement a preoperative anemia and iron deficiency screening, evaluation, and management pathway

BACKGROUND

Implementation of pathways to screen surgical patients for preoperative anemia and iron deficiency remains limited. This study sought to measure the impact of a theoretically informed, bespoke change package on improving the uptake of a Preoperative Anemia and Iron Deficiency Screening, Evaluation, and Management Pathway.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Pre-post interventional study using a type two hybrid-effectiveness design evaluated implementation. Four hundred (400) patient medical record reviews provided the dataset (200 pre- and 200-post implementation). The primary outcome measure was compliance with the pathway. Secondary outcome measures (clinical outcomes) were anemia on day of surgery, exposure to a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, and hospital length of stay. Validated surveys facilitated data collection of implementation measures. Propensity score-adjusted analyses determined the effect of the intervention on clinical outcomes, and a cost analysis determined the economic impact.

RESULTS

For the primary outcome, compliance improved significantly post-implementation (Odds Ratio 10.6 [95% CI 4.4-25.5] p < .000). In secondary outcomes, adjusted analyses point estimates showed clinical outcomes were slightly improved for anemia on day of surgery (Odds Ratio 0.792 [95% CI 0.5-1.3] p = .32), RBC transfusion (Odds Ratio 0.86 [95% CI 0.41-1.78] p = .69) and hospital length of stay (Hazard Ratio 0.96 [95% CI 0.77-1.18] p = .67), although these were not statistically significant. Cost savings of $13,340 per patient were realized. Implementation outcomes were favorable for acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.

CONCLUSION

The change package significantly improved compliance. The absence of a statistically significant change in clinical outcomes may be because the study was powered to detect an improvement in compliance only. Further prospective studies with larger samples are needed. Cost savings of $13,340 per patient were achieved and the change package was viewed favorably.

Current concepts in evaluation and management of preoperative anaemia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the current recommendations for management of perioperative anaemia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery, present the impact of anaemia on outcomes in this patient population and suggest an algorithm for evaluating and treating anaemia preoperatively.

RECENT FINDINGS

Anaemia is a common medical issue noted preoperatively in patients presenting for thoracic surgery and carries significant morbidity. Preoperative anaemia increases the likelihood of receiving a perioperative transfusion, which represents a significant risk factor for morbidity and reduced disease-free survival in lung cancer patients presenting for thoracic surgery. It is also associated with longer hospital lengths of stay and increased risk for reoperation following lung transplantation. An algorithm-based approach to management of anaemia is beneficial and treatment with iron has been shown to reduce transfusions.

SUMMARY

Patients undergoing thoracic surgery have a high incidence of preoperative anaemia that increases the risk of transfusion and postoperative morbidity. Preoperative evaluation and tailored treatment based on the underlying cause of anaemia reduces the incidence of anaemia prior to surgery and decreases transfusion rates.

Perioperative Quality Initiative and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery-Cardiac Society Consensus Statement on the Management of Preoperative Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients

Preoperative anemia is common in patients presenting for cardiac surgery, with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 4, and has been associated with worse outcomes including increased risk of blood transfusion, kidney injury, stroke, infection, and death. Iron deficiency, a major cause of anemia, has also been shown to have an association with worse outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, even in the absence of anemia. Although recent guidelines have supported diagnosing and treating anemia and iron deficiency before elective surgery, details on when and how to screen and treat remain unclear. The Eighth Perioperative Quality Initiative (POQI 8) consensus conference, in conjunction with the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery-Cardiac Surgery Society, brought together an international, multidisciplinary team of experts to review and evaluate the literature on screening, diagnosing, and managing preoperative anemia and iron deficiency in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and to provide evidence-based recommendations in accordance with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria for evaluating biomedical literature.

A Global Definition of Patient Blood Management

While patient blood management (PBM) initiatives are increasingly adopted across the globe as part of standard of care, there is need for a clear and widely accepted definition of PBM. To address this, an expert group representing PBM organizations, from the International Foundation for Patient Blood Management (IFPBM), the Network for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management, Haemostasis and Thrombosis (NATA), the Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management (SABM), the Western Australia Patient Blood Management (WAPBM) Group, and OnTrac (Ontario Nurse Transfusion Coordinators) convened and developed this definition: "Patient blood management is a patient-centered, systematic, evidence-based approach to improve patient outcomes by managing and preserving a patient's own blood, while promoting patient safety and empowerment." The definition emphasizes the critical role of informed choice. PBM involves the timely, multidisciplinary application of evidence-based medical and surgical concepts aimed at screening for, diagnosing and appropriately treating anemia, minimizing surgical, procedural, and iatrogenic blood losses, managing coagulopathic bleeding throughout the care and supporting the patient while appropriate treatment is initiated. We believe that having a common definition for PBM will assist all those involved including PBM organizations, hospital administrators, individual clinicians and policy makers to focus on the appropriate issues when discussing and implementing PBM. The proposed definition is expected to continue to evolve, making this endeavor a work in progress.