Effect of intravenous iron saccharate on the requirements of erythropoietin in hemodialysis patients

We attempt in this study to evaluate the effect of intravenous iron saccharate (i.v. Sach) on the erythropoietin (EPO) requirements during the initial phase of replacement therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) in adult chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. We evaluated 96 study patients who completed 12 weeks of treatment with EPO. There were 69 (72%) males and 27 (28%) females with a mean age of 44 ± 10 years (range 24 to74 years). The patients were initiated on EPO at 50 units / kg body weight subcutaneously post-dialysis two to three times weekly. Intravenous iron was administered to maintain the ferritin levels and transferrin saturation ratio within normal range. There were 36 (37.5%) patients who received i.v. Sach at doses of 100 mg at the end of dialysis two or three times per week during the whole study period (total dose 2400-3600 mg). Of the 96 study patients, 91 (94.8%) responded to the EPO. The mean hemoglobin (Hb) at entry to the study was 72 ± 84 g/L (range 52-88 g/L). There was a significant increase of the mean Hb to 108 ± 10 g / L (range 70-120 grams/L) at the end of the study (P