Rapid removal of excessive iron with daily, high-dose intravenous chelation therapy.

We investigated the value of high-dose intravenous iron chelation therapy with deferoxamine as an alternative to conventional subcutaneous therapy in eight patients receiving regular transfusions who had massive iron stores, including two with clinical heart disease. Six to twelve grams of deferoxamine was infused daily for 12 hours over 12 to 25 months through externalized central venous catheters or implanted reservoirs. Serum ferritin levels decreased by 56% to 99%. Liver iron concentrations, measured by magnetic susceptibility in two patients, were 1234 and 2438 micrograms/gm wet weight (22.1 and 43.6 mumol/gm wet weight) after treatment for 17 and 25 months, respectively. A patient with congestive heart failure and a patient with severe ventricular dysrhythmias no longer required cardiac medication after 12 to 24 months of chelation therapy. Three episodes of bacteremia and three episodes of cellulitis accounted for a catheter-related infection rate of 0.14 per 100 patient-days. The catheter removal rate was 0.20 per 100 patient-days. No patient experienced serious visual, auditory, or other toxicities. We conclude that in some patients receiving regular erythrocyte transfusions, high-dose intravenous chelation therapy with deferoxamine is superior to conventional subcutaneous treatment.