Switching iron sucrose to ferric carboxymaltose associates to better control of iron status in hemodialysis patients

Jesse M.G. Hofman*, Michele F. Eisenga, Adry Diepenbroek, Ilja M. Nolte, Bastiaan Van Dam, Ralf Westerhuis, Stephan J.L. Bakker, Casper F.M. Franssen, Carlo A.J.M. Gaillard

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Background: Although the efficacy of iron sucrose (IS) and ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in treating anemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients has been studied individually, a comparison of these two intravenous iron formulations has not yet been performed in HD patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective audit on records of 221 stable HD patients from different HD centers in the Netherlands, who were switched from IS to FCM on a 1:1 ratio. To assess the effect of the switch on iron status parameters, data from 3 time points before and 3 time points after the switch were analyzed using linear mixed effects models. Subanalyses were done in 2 subgroups of patients anemic or iron deficient at baseline. Results: Hemoglobin increased in all groups (anemic [1.4 g/dL, P < 0.001] iron deficient [0.6 g/dL, P < 0.001]), while the weekly iron dose was significantly lower when patients received FCM compared to IS (48 vs 55 mg/week, P = 0.04). Furthermore, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation increased in all groups (anemic [64 μg/L, 5.0%, P < 0.001] iron deficient [76 μg/L, 3.6%, P < 0.001]). Finally, the darbepoetin α dose decreased significantly in all groups (anemic [- 16 μg/wk., P = 0.01] iron deficient [- 11 μg/wk., P < 0.001]). Conclusions: In this real-life study in HD patients, a switch from IS to FCM resulted in an improvement of iron status parameters despite a lower weekly dose of FCM. Furthermore, the ESA dose was reduced during FCM, while hemoglobin levels increased.

Original languageEnglish
Article number242
JournalBMC Nephrology
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Sept 2018

Keywords

  • ESA
  • Ferric carboxymaltose
  • Hemodialysis
  • Iron status
  • Iron sucrose

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