Pediatric Outcomes and Recovery With Peri-Operative Iron Supplement Evaluation

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA · Jul 23, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how giving iron supplements before surgery might help children who need a special hip surgery called varus-derotation osteotomy (VDRO), which is often done to prevent or fix hip problems. Many children having this surgery, especially those with cerebral palsy or similar conditions, may have low iron levels or anemia (a condition where the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells). Low iron can make surgery recovery harder and increase the chance of needing a blood transfusion. The goal of this study is to see if a nutrition program that includes iron supplements before surgery can improve recovery and reduce the need for transfusions.

Children and teenagers from birth up to 18 years old who are scheduled to have VDRO or pelvic osteotomy surgery may be eligible to join. The study will also look at past patients who had this surgery recently. Participants will follow a nutrition program before their surgery, which might include iron supplements if their iron levels are low. Some children won’t be able to join, such as those who had recent major surgery, are already receiving similar nutritional care, or have health issues that make iron supplements unsafe. Families will be asked to complete surveys and interviews in English as part of the study. Even if a child can’t participate, they will still receive the same nutrition care as those in the study.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • All patients scheduled for VDRO and/or pelvic osteotomy surgery (prospective cohort)
• • All patients who had VDRO and/or pelvic osteotomy surgery between February 2022 and December 2024 (historical cohort)
• • Ages 0-18 years old
• • Note that the investigators will include patients who do or do not have a diagnosis of a neuromotor condition. The investigators may not include patients who are enrolled in other conflicting research studies.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients who have undergone a major surgical intervention in the last 3 months
• • Patients who have received a nutritional intervention that includes iron testing and treatment within the last 3 months
• • Patients in whom oral/enteral iron supplementation is contraindicated
• • Patients who have a bleeding disorder
• • Patients taking erythropoietin
• • Patients who cannot read and understand English\*
• • Patients and their families who cannot read and understand English will be excluded from the study because the surveys and interviews are conducted in English. These patients will still have access to the same nutrition management and interventions as study participants.