Source: Praxis  |  Posted 9 years ago

Intravenous iron supplementation with iron saccharate efficiently replenishes iron body stores and significantly increases hemoglobin concentration in children with iron deficiency.

Allergic reactions are possible, underscoring the need for medical supervision, say Dr. L. Michaud and colleagues.

They evaluated the safety and efficacy of intravenous iron saccharate in 22 iron-deficient children who are under long-term parenteral nutrition. The children were unable to tolerate oral iron supplementation or were unresponsive to oral supplementation because of gastrointestinal dysfunction or iron malabsorption.

An formula using weight and hemoglobin values determined the infusion dose for each child, and each received a test dose of 25 mg of iron saccharate before the infusion. Hemoglobin values, reticulocytes count, serum iron, and serum ferritin were determined before iron administration (day 1), as well as 15 and 45 days after iron administration.

The researchers found that intravenous iron led to a significant increase in hemoglobin concentration of 2.2 g/dl within 45 days. However, one patient developed transient exanthema and hypotension after completion of the last iron saccharate infusion.