Hemoglobin is a blood test that measures the number of red blood cells in the body. It is measured in grams of hemoglobin per litre of blood.
Normal hemoglobin for men is 135 to 170 and for women is 120 to 160.
If hemoglobin becomes seriously low (around 70 to 80) your doctor may recommend a blood transfusion.
Iron is one of the ingredients the body needs to make hemoglobin. We get iron from the food we eat. We need to take in only a small amount of iron everyday. The human body is very smart, it “recycles” iron – reuses iron over and over again to make hemoglobin.
Ferritin is a blood test that measures iron stored in the body. Normal ferritin is about 35 to 300 micrograms per litre.
The Perioperative Patient Blood Management Program (PPBMP) nurses check patients’ hemoglobin and ferritin test results. These results are reviewed with the PPBMP team doctors (hematologist, anesthesiologist and your surgeon). They are important factors to develop a patient blood management plan that is best for you.
