Prevalence and severity of preoperative anemia, and associated factors among orthopedic patients at public comprehensive referral hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia 2024: multi- center cross-sectional study

A total of 820 patients were included in this study with a response rate of 99.9%. Prevalence of preoperative anemia was 46.7% (n = 383/820) with (95%, CI = 0.33353- 0.5987) in this study. Emergency orthopedic cases (AOR = 3.014, CI = 2.480-5.717), traumatic related orthopedic cases (AOR = 2.01, CI = 1.480- 3.21), repeated history of anesthesia and orthopedic surgery (AOR = 3.11, CI = 1.480- 3.54), presence of coexisting diseases (AOR = 1.501, CI = 1.002- 3.74) and preoperative blood loss greater than 500 ml (AOR = 3.001, CI = 2.012- 5.104) were associated with preoperative anemia. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The prevalence of preoperative anemia among orthopedic patients was high in the study area. Orthopedic patients should be screened for preoperative anemia routinely. Additionally, nutritional and iron therapy should be given for mild to moderate anemia. Moreover, blood transfusion should be considered for patients with severe anemia.