Table 1 Clinical recommendations formulated during the ICC-PBM as published previously [2]
Clinical recommendation | Strength of recommendation and certainty of evidence |
|---|---|
1. Detection and management of preoperative anemia early enough before major elective surgery | Strong recommendation, low-certainty evidence |
2. Use of iron supplementation to reduce red blood cell transfusion rate in adult preoperative patients with iron-deficient anemia undergoing elective surgery | Conditional recommendation, moderate-certainty evidence |
3. Do not use erythropoiesis-stimulating agents routinely in general for adult preoperative patients with anemia undergoing elective surgery | Conditional recommendation, low-certainty evidence |
4. Consider short-acting erythropoietins in addition to iron supplementation to reduce transfusion rates in adult preoperative patients with hemoglobin concentrations < 13 g/dL undergoing elective major orthopedic surgery | Conditional recommendation, low-certainty evidence |