Preoperative administration of epoetin alfa to total joint arthroplasty patients.

Epoetin alfa is indicated to reduce allogeneic transfusions in patients undergoing major operations. This study included 40 patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty who received 600 IU/kg doses of epoetin alfa 21, 14, and 7 days preoperatively. Statistically equal matches were obtained according to preoperative hemoglobin, operation, sex, and age. After controlling for autologous donation, the average hemoglobin level on postoperative day one in the treatment group (10.93 g/dL) was significantly higher than the matched patient group (9.86 g/dL). Likewise, treated patients were transfused with significantly less blood (0.68 units/patient) compared to the matched group (1.6 units/patient). In these patients, administration of epoetin alfa was associated with significantly higher perioperative hemoglobin levels and significantly fewer transfusions than matched counterparts. The use of epoetin alfa in this heterogeneous surgical population illustrates its success in a varied population.