Overview
- A standardized protocol added ferritin testing at 8–12 and 24–28 weeks with a staged pathway from oral iron early to IV iron dextran later.
- Screening increased from 10% to 63% within a year, and IV iron use rose from 0.9% to 21% after implementation.
- Despite near-universal prenatal vitamin use, about two thirds of tested patients were iron deficient, highlighting gaps with hemoglobin-only screening and variable over-the-counter supplement content.
- Median hemoglobin increased from 10.7 to 11.8 g/dL among patients receiving IV iron, and those starting at 12 g/dL rose to 12.8 g/dL.
- Delivery transfusions declined from 3.1% to 2.7% without statistical significance, and the team will present the findings at ASH today and pursue quality-of-life and perinatal outcome analyses.