The Prevalence and Impact of Preoperative Anemia in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery for Rheumatic Heart Disease

In patients undergoing cardiac surgery for RHD, there was high prevalence of preoperative anemia. Despite higher transfusion rates in moderately anemic patients, they had significantly lower Hb on CPB and in the postoperative period. Perioperative packed cell transfusion was associated significantly with mortality.