title: Intravenous iron in clinical concentrations does not impair haemoglobin measurement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intravenous iron is commonly administered to anaemic patients to treat iron deficiency, but due to its ferric colouration, it may interfere with the spectrophotometric assessment of haemoglobin concentrations. This paper investigates the potential interference of three clinically used intravenous iron preparations on the measurement of haemoglobin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Haemoglobin concentration was measured for neat and Hartmann's solution-diluted iron polymaltose, carboxymaltose and sucrose solutions using bedside (Radiometer HemoCue®), point-of-care (Radiometer ABL800 Flex) and laboratory (Abbott CellDyne Sapphire™) devices. Haemoglobin concentration was then assessed with the same devices utilizing anaemic whole blood with the iron solutions added.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neat iron preparations registered clinically significant haemoglobin concentrations on bedside and laboratory measurements. When intravenous iron preparations were diluted to clinical concentrations, their effect on haemoglobin measurements, either in isolation or mixed with anaemic blood, was negligible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although neat preparations of intravenous iron do interfere with spectrophotometric analysis of haemoglobin, concentrations likely to be seen post iron infusion do not significantly interfere with haemoglobin measurement.
authors: Department of Anaesthesia, Fremantle Hospital, WA, Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Crawley WA, Australia.
authors: Edmond
authors: E
authors: O'Loughlin
authors: Department of Anaesthesia, Fremantle Hospital, WA, Australia peter.garnett@health.wa.gov.au.
authors: Peter Bj
authors: PB
authors: Garnett
authors: Department of Anaesthesia, Fremantle Hospital, WA, Australia.
authors: Nathalie M
authors: NM
authors: Falkner
authors: PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA, Australia.
authors: Robin
authors: R
authors: Williams
mesh_terms: D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007501:Iron
keywords: Haemoglobin; iron infusion; spectrometry; spectrophotometric analysis