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Epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) is an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent that can be used for various types of anemia.
ESA’s like epoetin carry a boxed warning as they increase the risk of cardiovascular events like MI, stroke, and blood clots.
Assessing iron stores is critical when epoetin is used to ensure that a non-response is not due to deficiency.
I discuss dosing adjustments of epoetin in the podcast. One must be careful about raising hemoglobin too quickly.
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