Epoetin alfa as an adjunct to autologous blood donation in patients with a low hematocrit scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery.

Predonation of autologous blood (AB) represents an attractive alternative to allogeneic blood transfusion in patients scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery. However, anemic patients may not be able to donate sufficient AB prior to surgery, thus increasing the risk of exposure to allogeneic blood. This group of patients may benefit from the administration of epoetin alfa to facilitate AB donation. A recent multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 204 patients with a low hematocrit (Hct; < or = 39%) scheduled for orthopedic surgery demonstrated that the intravenous administration of epoetin alfa (600 IU/kg twice weekly for 3 weeks) significantly increased the number of AB units predeposited and the percentage of patients able to donate > or = 4 AB units. Furthermore, epoetin alfa attenuated the decrease in Hct associated with AB donation and significantly (P = .027) reduced allogeneic blood exposure in these patients.