Hemoglobin 8.5 g/dl & rhinoplasty. Should I be concerned?

Normal hemaglobin levels start at 11, and a transfusion of 1 unit of packed red blood cells would raise hemaglobin by 1. You are 2 and 1/2 units low, and this should be worked up to determine why you are quite anemic. This should be done BEFORE your rhinoplasty for many reasons. If you are anemic from heavy menses, iron supplements and a consultation with your GYN may be helpful. If you do not have excessive uterine bleeding as a cause for your anemia, you may need to consult with a hematologist (blood specialist) for a workup. If a hematology workup is inconclusive, please make sure a test of your stool for is performed to ensure you have no internal bleeding - the screening test for occult blood in stool is called a Guiac test, and if it's positive, GI endoscopy may be necessary. I hope this helps you. Dr Joseph

Is a hemoglobin of 8.5 too low for rhinoplasty? With a hemoglobin of 8.5 there is no room for any further blood loss. It is not too uncommon for young women to run low blood counts. Some have very heavy menses others have congenital disorders which causes chronic anemia. While this is not a terribly serious condition under normal circumstances, with the potential additional blood loss of surgery the hemoglobin could drift dangerously low. Since rhinoplasty is an elective procedure, the safest and wisest thing to do would be to postpone the surgery and see a hematologist. I have confronted the situation many times in my practice and it usually involves postponing surgery for about six weeks while the patient went on iron and other supplements during which time the blood count rose to a more acceptable range of 11 to 12 or at least 10 to 11

Dear Cheerful900480,
every plastic surgeon has his own preoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery