Heschl M, et al. - This investigation was pursued to determine the impact of pre-operative preparation (PREP) of patients with iron and/or erythropoietin (EPO) on peri-operative transfusion needs and long-term survival. In terms of transfusion reduction, PREP of patients with iron and/or EPO in orthopaedic patients could be considered highly effective, while it did not impact long-term survival.