Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Preoperative anaemia and iron deficiency in Wales: a national retrospective cohort study of postsurgical outcomes after major elective surgery
Authors' conclusion
Preoperative anaemia and iron deficiency are prevalent in the surgical population and linked to worse short-term and long-term outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (≥18 yr) undergoing major elective gastrointestinal, cardiac, urologic, gynaecologic or orthopaedic surgery in Wales, January 2018–May 2025
- Participants
- 46,614 adults
- Exposure
- Preoperative anaemia vs no anaemia
- Outcome
- Prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency (ferritin <30 μg L-1 or transferrin saturation <20%) and their impact on postoperative outcomes
Methodological detailsnational
- National
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency
Anaemic patients
31%
Iron deficiency among anaemic patients
52%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Prolonged hospital LOSIndependently associated | adjusted rate ratio 1.17 (95% CI 1.16–1.18) | |
| 30-day readmission · independently associated | aOR 1.18 (95% CI 1.09–1.27) | |
| Mortality (all time points) · 30-day, 90-day, 1-yr, 5-yrIndependently associated | aOR 1.69 (95% CI 1.54–1.85) | |
| 0.512Ratio (log scale) |
Iron deficiency and anaemia with inflammation (subgroup)
- Associated with particularly poor outcomes
Original publication
Preoperative anaemia and iron deficiency in Wales: a national retrospective cohort study of postsurgical outcomes after major elective surgery. Br J Anaesth. Published 28 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →