Impact of Preoperative Anaemia Correction on Postoperative Outcomes in Elective Surgery: An Empirical Study at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital

Preoperative anaemia is highly prevalent among elective surgical patients in Nigeria and is independently associated with increased transfusion requirements, surgical morbidity, and prolonged hospital stay. This empirical study examines the impact of a structured preoperative anaemia correction program on postoperative outcomes at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, from 2021 to 2023. A prospective interventional cohort of 200 elective surgical patients was recruited. Patients with preoperative haemoglobin below 10 g/dL received protocol-driven anaemia correction (iron supplementation, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, or blood transfusion as appropriate) before surgery, while historical controls from 2019 to 2020 served as the comparator group. Primary outcomes included intraoperative blood transfusion rates, postoperative complication rates, and hospital stay duration. Preoperative anaemia correction reduced intraoperative transfusion rates from 38% to 14% (p<0.001). Postoperative complications occurred in 19% of the intervention group compared to 31% of controls. Mean hospital stay decreased by 1.8 days. Iron-deficiency anaemia was the most common type, amenable to oral iron therapy in the majority of cases. The study provides strong empirical support for routine preoperative haematological screening and anaemia correction protocols at ABUTH and recommends national adoption of patient blood management guidelines. Keywords: preoperative anaemia, blood transfusion, patient blood management, ABUTH, elective surgery