The importance of iron in long-term survival of maintenance hemodialysis patients treated with epoetin-alpha and intravenous iron: analysis of 9.5 years of prospectively collected data

Background: In patients treated by maintenance hemodialysis the relationship to survival of hemoglobin level and administered epoetin-! and intravenous iron is controversial. The study aim was to determine effects on patient survival of administered epoetin-! and intravenous iron, and of hemoglobin and variables related to iron status. Methods: The patients were 1774 treated by maintenance hemodialysis in 3 dialysis units in New York, NY from January 1998 to June, 2007. A patient-centered, coded, electronic patient record used in patient care enabled retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively. For survival analysis, patients were censored when transplanted, transferred to hemodialysis at home or elsewhere, peritoneal dialysis. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis was followed by multivariate analysis with Cox’s regression, using as variables age, race, gender, major comorbid conditions, epoetin-! and intravenous iron administered, and 15 laboratory tests. ! 2 !