What is Iron Infusion?

patients diagnosed with severe iron deficiency may require iron infusion therapy, which includes intravenous supply of iron products. Iron infusion is an alternative treatment when oral iron supplementation or intramuscular iron injection cannot be used or do not reach sufficient minerals. Iron deficiency occurs when the body cannot produce enough red blood cells to compensate for loss. Chemotherapy, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and kidney failure are some of the conditions that could require iron infusion. Before starting treatment, technicians usually administer approximately 25 milligrams of iron intravenously to monitor vital symptoms and control symptoms of side effects. Iron dextran and iron sucrose complexes, diluted in normal physiological solution, are some of the products used for infusion. Iron infusion treatment can last anywhere from three to eight hours, depending ondegree of anemia and prescribed dosage. The reactions may occur as local hives or rashes, but more serious symptoms may also develop, involving more difficult breathing, swallowing and chest pain. The equipment generally have emergency medical equipment close to anaphylactic events. The common side effects of iron infusion include dizziness, flushing, headache and metal taste in the mouth. Some patients experience symptoms similar to flu for two or three days.

Chemotherapy often damages red blood cells or prevents bone marrow ability to produce replacements. Patients with inflammatory intestinal diseases, including Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, usually experience internal bleeding that exhausts the red blood of the ELL. Kidney disease in the final stage is one of the more common reasons why patients require iron infusion therapy. The organic kidneys do not rule out enough erYtropoetin, a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Doctors also believe that the inability of the body to remove waste products effectively causes uremic toxins, which also contributes to reducing bone marrow production.

doctors usually diagnose iron deficiency when the concentration of hematocrit and hemoglobin fall below acceptable levels. Hematocrit levels on average approximately 33% to 36%, depending on laboratory criteria and represent a percentage of blood volume containing red blood cells. Hemoglobin levels on average 11 to 13 grams per blood deciliter and indicate the amount of iron protein in red blood cells that bears oxygen throughout the body. Iron levels on average blood between 40 and 150 micrograms per deciliter in women and 50 to 160 micrograms per deciliter for men.