Can a quick iron boost before heart surgery lead to better long-term health?
NCT ID NCT06968936
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether giving anemic patients a combination of iron, erythropoietin, and vitamin C for three days before heart surgery can improve their quality of life, sleep, and fatigue over the long term. Researchers will compare these patients to those receiving standard care. The goal is to see if this simple pre-surgery treatment helps patients feel better and recover more fully after their operation.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Iron (sucrose iron), erythropoietin, and vitamin C
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, short-term treatment to improve recovery and quality of life after heart surgery for anemic patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a sub-study of a larger trial, so results may be limited. The treatment is given only before surgery, and long-term benefits are uncertain. It may not work for everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 400 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. 2. Major cardiac surgery should encompass procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve surgery, or a combination of both. 3. Iron deficiency anemia is defined as having a ferritin level below 100 μg/L or a ferritin level below 300 μg/L accompanied by a transferrin saturation below 25%. Additionally, hemoglobin levels should range between 90 and 130 g/L for men or between 90 and 120 g/L for women. 4. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification should fall within Grade 1-3. 5. Prior to participation, the patient or their legal representative must provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Contraindications for the administration of iron sucrose, ascorbic acid, or rHuEPO. 2. Presence of a temperature exceeding 37.5 °C or the utilization of non-prophylactic antibiotics. 3. Individuals with a weight equal to or less than 50kg. 4. Individuals with a family history of haemochromatosis or thalassaemia, or those with a transferrin saturation level exceeding 50% or a documented history of iron overload. 5. Presence of other known haematological disorders such as folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency, haemolytic anaemia, haemoglobinopathies, iron granulocytic anaemia, G6PD deficiency, etc. 6. Requirement for emergency surgical intervention. 7. Severe hepatic or renal impairment, ALT \>3 times the upper limit of normal value or AST \>3 times the upper limit of normal value, creatinine \>1.5 times the upper limit of normal value 8. Pregnant or lactating women 9. history of blood transfusion, intravenous iron or ascorbic acid use within 12 weeks prior to surgery 10. Acute blood loss, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc. in the preoperative period.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGHangzhou, Zhejiang, 330100, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Iron boost before heart surgery may cut need for donor blood
- Can treating anemia before pregnancy stop it later?