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Epoetin alfa reduces blood transfusion requirements in patients with intertrochanteric fracture
Konstantinos Kateros1, Vasileios I Sakellariou, Ioannis P Sofianos
1Department of Orthopaedics, General Hospital of Levadia, Levadia, Greece.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to identify the potential benefits or complications from the use of epoetin alfa in patients with intertrochanteric fracture.
Materials And Methods:
Seventy-nine patients who sustained an intertrochanteric fracture were divided into 2 groups. One group received 10 daily doses of 20 000 IU of epoetin alfa beginning from the day of trauma, whereas the control group received placebo.
Results:
We found a statistically significant difference in the required units of allogenic blood used between the 2 groups (P = .034). The group that received epoetin alfa also showed an elevation of hematocrit and hemoglobin values, which was statistically significant at the seventh postoperative day (P = .019 and .015, respectively) compared to the control group. No complications were evident during our study.
Conclusions:
Patients with intertrochanteric fractures seem to benefit from the use of epoetin alfa because it is safe and reduces the need for blood transfusions.
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