The difficulties faced by anemic patients before surgery and other high blood-loss procedures may be coming to an end because of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ new Anemia Management Clinic.
According to the American Society of Hematology, anemia occurs when red blood cells,

which carry hemoglobin, decrease numerically or do not function properly. Symptoms could include weakness, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
Pregnant women and patients with chronic illnesses are at higher risk.
Amy Leitch, a nurse practitioner for the Anemia Management Clinic, said it was created to save the UIHC money and improve patient care.
“It was created based on new evidence that we can improve patient outcomes in some areas,” she said. “We did a pilot study in 2012 and based ideas for the clinic on how it went. Since we’ve opened in December 2014, we have other patient populations.”
Leitch said those among the new populations are patients who were made anemic by consecutive surgeries, pregnant women who suffer iron deficiency, and people who refuse blood products for religious or other reasons.
“We want to do what we can so their surgeries go better,” she said.
Financially, the clinic helps cut costs by preparing patients for the physical strain of a surgery beforehand rather than after.
Leitch said in high blood procedures, such as joint replacements, patients could lose more than 500 cubic centimeters of blood. One unit of blood costs roughly $500.
“We don’t get those costs back, either,” she said. “When a patient is in the hospital, the cost is taken out of the revenue that we get from the insurance for the surgery.”
To avoid physical discomfort and financial loss, the Anemia Management Clinic works with patients to help alleviate their anemia.
“We take all those patients and look at their lab values before surgery. If they’re anemic — why? Most patients will be iron deficient, which is sometimes caused by kidneys not functioning,” Leitch said. “We’ll do hemoglobin optimization before surgery. We’re shifting the focus and correcting a few things before surgery instead of trying to catch up after surgery.”