Monthly media digest: August/September 2026

Iron infusion before heart surgery helps patients recover faster

Professor Paul Myles was interviewed by media outlets about the Intravenous iron to treat anaemia before cardiac surgery (ITACS): an international, double blind, placebo controlled randomised trial,  funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the ANZCA Foundation. 

The world-wide study published in the British Medical Journal involved 955 patients across 33 Australian hospitals and nine internationally and is the first large-scale trial to show that intravenous iron can improve outcomes for anaemic cardiac patients.

The landmark study found that a simple iron infusion administered in the weeks before heart surgery could soon become standard care as the infusion reduces blood transfusions and shortens recovery.