Comparison of 3 Routes of Administration of Tranexamic Acid on Primary Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study

Tranexamic Acid Use in the Surgical Arena: A Narrative Review

INTRODUCTION

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a potent antifibrinolytic drug that inhibits the activation of plasmin by plasminogen. While not a new medication, TXA has quickly gained traction across a variety of surgical subspecialties to prevent and treat bleeding. Knowledge on the use of this drug is essential for the modern surgeon to continue to provide excellent care to their patients.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of the PubMed database was conducted of articles published within the last 10 y (2014-2024) relating to TXA and its use in various surgical subspecialties. Seminal studies regarding the use of TXA older than 10 y were included from the author's archives.

RESULTS

Indications for TXA are not limited to trauma alone, and TXA is utilized across a variety of surgical subspecialties from neurosurgery to hepatic surgery to control hemorrhage. Overall, TXA is well tolerated with common dose-dependent adverse effects, including headache, nasal symptoms, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. More severe adverse events are rare and easily mitigated by not exceeding a dose of 50 mg/kg.

CONCLUSIONS

The administration of TXA as an adjunct to treat trauma saves lives. The ability of TXA to induce seizures is dose dependent with identifiable risk factors, making this serious adverse effect predictable. As for the potential for TXA to cause thrombotic events, uncertainty remains. If this association is proven to be real, the risk will likely be small, since the use of TXA is still advantageous in most situations because of its efficacy for a more common concern, bleeding.

Association Between Tranexamic Acid and Decreased Periprosthetic Joint Infection Risk in Patients Undergoing Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Over 2 Million Patients

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between tranexamic acid (TXA) use during primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and the risk of developing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after these procedures.

METHODS

A systematic review was carried out from inception to October 17, 2022. There were 6 studies that were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The association between the development of PJI and TXA was analyzed using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and estimates of risk difference (RD). Subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate only studies reporting out to 90 days of follow-up versus more than 90 days of follow-up.

RESULTS

Among 2,098,469 arthroplasties, TXA utilization was associated with an overall lower risk of PJI (OR = 0.63 [95% CI 0.42 to 0.96], P < .001) and a 0.4% lower incidence of PJI (RD = -0.0038, 95% CI [-0.005 to -0.002], P < .001). When subgrouping the studies according to length of follow-up, TXA was associated with a lower risk of PJI (OR = 0.43 [95% CI 0.35 to 0.53], P < .001) and a 1% lower incidence of PJI (RD = -0.0095 [95% CI -0.013 to -0.005], P < .001) in patients followed for more than 90 days.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis demonstrates that TXA use is associated with a reduced risk of PJI, with our RD analysis identifying an approximately 0.4% reduction in PJI rates with TXA use. These findings provide even more data to support the routine use of TXA during primary THA and primary TKA.

Tranexamic Acid in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Scoping Review of Current Practices and Future Directions

BACKGROUND

The effectiveness of tranexamic acid (TXA) as an antifibrinolytic agent in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is well documented; however, there remains considerable practice variability concerning the optimal route of administration and dosing protocols concerning the medication's use. Our aim was to conduct a scoping review of the literature regarding the efficacy of various methods of TXA administration in TSA and to identify knowledge gaps that may be addressed.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The PubMed and MEDLINE electronic databases were searched to identify all articles published before March 2023 investigating the administration of TXA in TSA. Randomized controlled trials and cohort studies were included, and data were extracted to capture information regarding intervention details and related outcomes such as blood loss, transfusion needs, and complication rates.

RESULTS

A total of 15 studies were included in this review. All selected studies used either intravenous (IV) or topical TXA, with 1 study also including a combined approach of both topical and IV TXA. Of the studies that used an IV approach, the most commonly reported favorable outcomes were a reduction in blood volume loss, reduction in hemoglobin or hematocrit change, and decreased drain output. Dosing varied significantly between all identified studies because some used a standard dosing amount in grams or milligrams for all treatment group participants, whereas others used weight-based dosing amounts. All studies that used a weight-based dosing regimen as well as studies using a standard dosing amount between 1,000 and 5,000 mg reported favorable outcomes for postoperative blood loss.

CONCLUSION

Both IV and topical TXA clearly demonstrate favorable perioperative hematologic profiles in TSA. Although both approaches have demonstrated a successful association with decreased blood loss and transfusion requirements, there is no definitive benefit to choosing one over the other. Furthermore, the use of oral TXA either in combination or isolation warrants further study in TSA because of its comparable efficacy profiles and significantly lower associated costs of application.

Efficacy and Safety of Oral Tranexamic Acid vs. Other Routes in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is often associated with significant blood loss, leading to complications such as acute anemia and increased risk of infection and mortality. Tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic agent, has been recognized for effectively reducing blood loss during TJA. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral TXA compared with other administration routes in TJA.

METHODS

Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science, focusing on randomized clinical trials involving oral TXA in TJA. The studies were assessed for quality using the Cochrane risk assessment scale. Data synthesis involved network meta-analyses, comparing outcomes including hemoglobin drop, estimated blood loss (EBL), transfusion rate, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) rate.

RESULTS

Our comprehensive literature search incorporated 39 studies with 7,538 participants, focusing on 8 TXA administration methods in TJA. The combination of oral and intra-articular (oral + IA) TXA markedly reduced hemoglobin drop more effectively than oral, intravenous (IV), and IA alone, but the difference was not significant. Oral + IA TXA significantly reduced EBL more effectively than oral + IV, IA + IV, and oral, IV, and IA alone. Perioperative transfusion rates with oral + IA TXA was significantly lower than that of oral, IA, and IV alone. The DVT rate with oral + IA was significantly lower than that with all other routes, including oral + IV, IA + IV, and oral, IA, and IV alone.

CONCLUSION

Oral TXA, particularly in combination with IA administration, demonstrates significantly higher efficacy in reducing blood loss and transfusion rates in TJA, with a safety profile comparable with that of other administration routes. The oral route, offering lower costs and simpler administration, emerges as a viable and preferable option in TJA procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Can local infiltration analgesia supplemented with tranexamic acid reduce blood loss during total knee arthroplasty?

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of TXA supplemented with local infiltration analgesia (LIA) for reducing blood loss in patients undergoing total knee replacement.

MATERIALS

A retrospective study of 530 individuals with a mean age of 71.44 years was performed after posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasty. Patients were divided into three groups according to the method of bleeding control: I - patients without an additional bleeding protocol (control group); II - patients receiving IV TXA (TXA group); and III - patients receiving the exact TXA protocol plus intraoperative local infiltration analgesia (TXA + LIA group). Blood loss was measured according to the maximal decrease in Hb compared to the preoperative Hb level.

RESULTS

The mean hospitalization duration was 7.02 (SD 1.34) days in the control group, 6.08 (SD 1.06) days in the TXA group, and 5.56 (SD 0.79) in the TXA + LIA group. The most significant decrease in haemoglobin was found in the control group, which was an average of 30.08%. The average decrease in haemoglobin was 25.17% (p < 0.001) in the TXA group and 23.67% (p < 0.001) in the TXA + LIA group. A decrease in the rate of allogeneic blood transfusions was observed: 24.4% in the control group, 9.9% in the TXA group, and 8% in the TXA + LIA group (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the separate administration of tranexamic acid, the combination of perioperative administration with local infiltration analgesia significantly reduced blood loss in patients after total knee replacement.

Pharmacological interventions for the prevention of bleeding in people undergoing elective hip or knee surgery: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hip and knee replacement surgery is a well-established means of improving quality of life, but is associated with a significant risk of bleeding. One-third of people are estimated to be anaemic before hip or knee replacement surgery; coupled with the blood lost during surgery, up to 90% of individuals are anaemic postoperatively. As a result, people undergoing orthopaedic surgery receive 3.9% of all packed red blood cell transfusions in the UK. Bleeding and the need for allogeneic blood transfusions has been shown to increase the risk of surgical site infection and mortality, and is associated with an increased duration of hospital stay and costs associated with surgery. Reducing blood loss during surgery may reduce the risk of allogeneic blood transfusion, reduce costs and improve outcomes following surgery. Several pharmacological interventions are available and currently employed as part of routine clinical care.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the relative efficacy of pharmacological interventions for preventing blood loss in elective primary or revision hip or knee replacement, and to identify optimal administration of interventions regarding timing, dose and route, using network meta-analysis (NMA) methodology.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the following databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews, from inception to 18 October 2022: CENTRAL (the Cochrane Library), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Transfusion Evidence Library (Evidentia), ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included RCTs of people undergoing elective hip or knee surgery only. We excluded non-elective or emergency procedures, and studies published since 2010 that had not been prospectively registered (Cochrane Injuries policy). There were no restrictions on gender, ethnicity or age (adults only). We excluded studies that used standard of care as the comparator. Eligible interventions included: antifibrinolytics (tranexamic acid (TXA), aprotinin, epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA)), desmopressin, factor VIIa and XIII, fibrinogen, fibrin sealants and non-fibrin sealants.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We performed the review according to standard Cochrane methodology. Two authors independently assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias, and extracted data. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using CINeMA. We presented direct (pairwise) results using RevMan Web and performed the NMA using BUGSnet. We were interested in the following primary outcomes: need for allogenic blood transfusion (up to 30 days) and all-cause mortality (deaths occurring up to 30 days after the operation), and the following secondary outcomes: mean number of transfusion episodes per person (up to 30 days), re-operation due to bleeding (within seven days), length of hospital stay and adverse events related to the intervention received.

MAIN RESULTS

We included a total of 102 studies. Twelve studies did not report the number of included participants; the other 90 studies included 8418 participants. Trials included more women (64%) than men (36%). In the NMA for allogeneic blood transfusion, we included 47 studies (4398 participants). Most studies examined TXA (58 arms, 56%). We found that TXA, given intra-articularly and orally at a total dose of greater than 3 g pre-incision, intraoperatively and postoperatively, ranked the highest, with an anticipated absolute effect of 147 fewer blood transfusions per 1000 people (150 fewer to 104 fewer) (53% chance of ranking 1st) within the NMA (risk ratio (RR) 0.02, 95% credible interval (CrI) 0 to 0.31; moderate-certainty evidence). This was followed by TXA given orally at a total dose of 3 g pre-incision and postoperatively (RR 0.06, 95% CrI 0.00 to 1.34; low-certainty evidence) and TXA given intravenously and orally at a total dose of greater than 3 g intraoperatively and postoperatively (RR 0.10, 95% CrI 0.02 to 0.55; low-certainty evidence). Aprotinin (RR 0.59, 95% CrI 0.36 to 0.96; low-certainty evidence), topical fibrin (RR 0.86, CrI 0.25 to 2.93; very low-certainty evidence) and EACA (RR 0.60, 95% CrI 0.29 to 1.27; very low-certainty evidence) were not shown to be as effective compared with TXA at reducing the risk of blood transfusion. We were unable to perform an NMA for our primary outcome all-cause mortality within 30 days of surgery due to the large number of studies with zero events, or because the outcome was not reported. In the NMA for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), we included 19 studies (2395 participants). Most studies examined TXA (27 arms, 64%). No studies assessed desmopressin, EACA or topical fibrin. We found that TXA given intravenously and orally at a total dose of greater than 3 g intraoperatively and postoperatively ranked the highest, with an anticipated absolute effect of 67 fewer DVTs per 1000 people (67 fewer to 34 more) (26% chance of ranking first) within the NMA (RR 0.16, 95% CrI 0.02 to 1.43; low-certainty evidence). This was followed by TXA given intravenously and intra-articularly at a total dose of 2 g pre-incision and intraoperatively (RR 0.21, 95% CrI 0.00 to 9.12; low-certainty evidence) and TXA given intravenously and intra-articularly, total dose greater than 3 g pre-incision, intraoperatively and postoperatively (RR 0.13, 95% CrI 0.01 to 3.11; low-certainty evidence). Aprotinin was not shown to be as effective compared with TXA (RR 0.67, 95% CrI 0.28 to 1.62; very low-certainty evidence). We were unable to perform an NMA for our secondary outcomes pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction and CVA (stroke) within 30 days, mean number of transfusion episodes per person (up to 30 days), re-operation due to bleeding (within seven days), or length of hospital stay, due to the large number of studies with zero events, or because the outcome was not reported by enough studies to build a network. There are 30 ongoing trials planning to recruit 3776 participants, the majority examining TXA (26 trials).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found that of all the interventions studied, TXA is probably the most effective intervention for preventing bleeding in people undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery. Aprotinin and EACA may not be as effective as TXA at preventing the need for allogeneic blood transfusion. We were not able to draw strong conclusions on the optimal dose, route and timing of administration of TXA. We found that TXA given at higher doses tended to rank higher in the treatment hierarchy, and we also found that it may be more beneficial to use a mixed route of administration (oral and intra-articular, oral and intravenous, or intravenous and intra-articular). Oral administration may be as effective as intravenous administration of TXA. We found little to no evidence of harm associated with higher doses of tranexamic acid in the risk of DVT. However, we are not able to definitively draw these conclusions based on the trials included within this review.

Updated Clinical Review: Perioperative Use of Tranexamic Acid in Orthopedics and Other Surgeries

Tranexamic acid is a well-known antifibrinolytic that has numerous clinical indications, and it is efficacious and safe in many perioperative scenarios including patients with some thrombotic risks. However, further studies that characterize clinical outcomes concerning dosing, timing, and routes in combination are needed in ultra high-risk populations.

Tranexamic acid administration for the prevention of periprosthetic joint infection and surgical site infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been widely utilized to reduce blood loss and allogeneic transfusions in patients who undergo lower limb arthroplasty. In recent years, there have been several articles reporting the incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) as a primary outcome of TXA administration, but no meta-analysis has been conducted to date. The present systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of TXA administration in preventing PJI and surgical site infection (SSI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Pubmed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library bibliographic databases were searched for studies published by May 24, 2022, that evaluated the effects of TXA on PJI and SSI. Two researchers screened the identified studies based on the PRISMA flow diagram. The quality of each randomized clinical trial was assessed using Version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (ROB2.0), and the quality of cohort and case-control studies was assessed by risk of bias for nonrandomized studies (ROBANS-I).

RESULTS

Of the 2259 articles identified from the database search, 31 were screened and selected. Treatment with TXA significantly reduced the incidence of overall infection, including PJI, SSI, and other infections (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.49-0.62) (P < 0.00001), and that of PJI alone (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.47-0.59) (P < 0.00001). TXA reduced the incidence of overall infection in patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA; OR 0.51; 95% CI: 0.35-0.75) (P = 0.0005) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA; OR 0.55; 95% CI: 0.43-0.71) (P < 0.00001). Intravenous administration of TXA reduced the incidence of overall infection (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.47-0.75) (P < 0.0001), whereas topical administration did not.

CONCLUSIONS

Intravenous administration of TXA reduces the incidence of overall infection in patients undergoing both THA and TKA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

A Randomized Trial of Three Routes of Tranexamic Acid Administration in Total Knee Arthroplasty

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been shown to decrease blood loss and transfusion rates across a variety of routes of administration and doses in the setting of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Oral TXA is less studied but has decreased cost and increased ease of administration. This prospective, randomized study compared the efficacy and cost of three routes of TXA administration in the setting of primary TKA. Primary outcomes were 24-hour hemoglobin loss, calculated blood loss, and blood transfusion rate. One-way analysis of variance, Pearson's chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. One hundred eleven patients were enrolled. The mean 24-hour hemoglobin loss for the intravenous (IV), oral, and topical TXA groups was 2.50±0.95 g/dL, 2.64±0.94 g/dL, and 2.52±0.90 g/dL, respectively, with no clinical or statistically significant differences among the groups (P=.79). Calculated blood loss was not significantly different (P=.61) among the IV TXA (1067±371 mL), oral TXA (1127±455 mL), and topical TXA (1027±454 mL) groups. No patients in any treatment group required a blood transfusion. IV, oral, and topical routes of TXA administration offer similar clinical benefits for perioperative bleeding and blood transfusion rate in TKA. Oral TXA provides a cost-benefit relative to the other routes of administration ($14 vs $114 per patient), making it a more cost-effective choice. Oral TXA has additional logistical challenges compared with other routes of administration due to increased absorption time, which may impact its use in clinical practice. [Orthopedics. 2023;46(5):285-290.].

Efficacy and safety of single- and double-dose intravenous tranexamic acid in hip and knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

With the increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, total joint replacement, the end-stage treatment, provides pain relief and restoration of function, but is often associated with massive blood loss. Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been reported to reduce perioperative blood loss in hip or knee arthroplasty. However, the optimal dose of TXA administration remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis combining data from 5 trials comparing the efficacy and safety of one fixed dose of 1 g intravenously administered TXA with two doses of 1 g each administered intravenously for hip or knee arthroplasty.

METHODS

PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library were searched from January 2000 to February 2023. Our meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials and cohort studies comparing the efficacy and safety of different doses of intravenous TXA (IV-TXA) for THA or TKA. The observation endpoints included total blood loss, postoperative hemoglobin drop, blood transfusion rate, length of hospital stay, incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE). Meta-analysis was performed according to Cochrane's guidelines and PRISMA statement. The Danish RevMan5.3 software was used for data merging.

RESULTS

Five cohort studies involving 5542 patients met the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis showed that the two groups were significantly higher in total blood loss (mean difference (MD) = - 65.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) [- 131.46, 0.26], P = 0.05); blood transfusion rate (risk difference (RD) = 0.00, 95% CI [- 0.01, 0.02], P = 0.55); postoperative hemoglobin (MD = 0.02, 95% CI [- 0.09, 0.13], P = 0.31); postoperative hospital stay days (MD = - 0.13), 95% CI [- 0.35, 0.09], P = 0.25); DVT (RD = 0.00, 95% CI [- 0.00, 0.01], P = 0.67); PE (RD = 0.00, 95% CI [- 0.01, 0.00], P = 0.79). There was some inherent heterogeneity due to variance in sample size across each major study.

CONCLUSION

1 dose of 1 g and 2 doses of 1 g IV-TXA each time have similar effects on reducing blood loss, blood transfusion rate, postoperative hemoglobin level, and postoperative hospital stay after TKA or THA, without increasing the risk of postoperative complications risk. For patients at high risk of thromboembolic events, one dose of 1 g TXA throughout surgery may be preferred. However, higher-quality RCT is needed to explore the optimal protocol dose to recommend the widespread use of TXA in total joint arthroplasty. Trial registration We conducted literature selection, eligibility criteria evaluation, data extraction and analysis on the research program registered in Prospero (CRD42023405387) on March 16, 2023.

Is Combining Two Different Routes of TXA Administration an Effective Blood Conserving Strategy for Total Knee Arthroplasty

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of combined use of pre-operative oral and post-operative intravenous (IV) tranexamic acid (TXA) as an effective blood conserving regimen in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and compare its outcome with other modes of TXA administration.

Patients and Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted on 25 patients with osteoarthritis knee undergoing TKA. Patients were given 1950 mg of oral TXA pre-operatively and 15 mg/kg of IV TXA post-operatively before tourniquet deflation. The outcome of the study in terms of peri-operative (intra-operative and post-operative) blood loss estimation, drain output, percentage fall in haemoglobin, and knee HSS scores pre-operatively and on subsequent follow-up were compared with the outcome of previous studies conducted in the same institution with intra-operative topical TXA administration, pre-operative oral TXA administration and without TXA administration.

Results

The mean drain volume was 307.30 ± 148.00 ml and 22 (88%) patients had a drain volume less than 500 ml. The mean post-operative haemoglobin value was 10.53 ± 1.75 g/dl. It was observed that 18 (72%) of patients had up to 15% fall in haemoglobin. The mean percentage fall was 11.92%. In this study, 22 (88%) patients did not require any blood transfusion. Mean blood loss was 369.6 ± 159.96 ml. Maximum patients had less than 500 ml blood loss. No incidence of implant loosening, infection or wound gaping, clinically evident DVT/pulmonary thromboembolism was observed in the present study. We analysed total modified HSS knee score from pre-operative to 6 months follow-up using multi-group repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), the difference in total modified HSS knee score between all the duration was observed to be highly significant (p < 0.001).

Discussion

Combined administration of pre-operative oral and post-operative IV TXA is a safe and effective blood-conserving strategy in patients undergoing TKA along with the use of tourniquet. The outcome in terms of post-operative blood loss and drain output and the knee HSS score is comparable to the other modes of administration.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-023-00875-w.

The Optimal Dose, Efficacy and Safety of Tranexamic Acid and Epsilon-Aminocaproic Acid to Reduce Bleeding in TKA: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The optimal dose and efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) and epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were under controversial, and we aimed to make comparisons between different doses of TXA and EACA in intravenous (IV) or intra-articular (IA) applications in patients undergoing TKA.

METHODS

This network meta-analysis was guided by the Priority Reporting Initiative for Systematic Assessment and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). According to the administrations of antifibrinolytic agents, patients in eligible studies were divided into three subgroups: (i) IA applications of TXA and EACA; (ii) IV applications (g) of TXA and EACA; (iii) IV applications (mg/kg) of TXA and EACA. Total blood loss (TBL), hemoglobin (HB) drops and transfusion rates were the primary outcomes, while drainage volume, pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk were the secondary outcomes. A multivariate Bayesian random-effects model was adopted in the network analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 38 eligible trials with different regimens were assessed. Overall inconsistency and heterogeneity were acceptable. Taking all primary outcomes into account, 1.0-3.0 g TXA were most effective in IA applications, 1-6 g TXA and 10-14 g EACA were most effective in IV applications (g), while 30 mg/kg TXA and 150 mg/kg EACA were most effective in IV applications (mg/kg). None of the regimens showed increasing risk for pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compared with placebo.

CONCLUSION

0 g IA TXA, 1.0 g IV TXA or 10.0 g IV EACA, as well as 30 mg/kg IV TXA or 150 mg/kg IV EACA were most effective and enough to control bleeding for patients after TKA. TXA was at least 5 times more potent than EACA.

The addition of oral Tranexamic acid to knee arthroplasty patients does not further improve blood loss: a double blinded randomized control trial

Perioperative intravenous (IV) TA has become routine in knee and hip arthroplasty. Less evidence exists on the administration of oral TA in the post- operative period. Our study aims to identify the efficacy and safety of combined perioperative IV and post-operative oral TA on blood loss and Hemoglobin (Hb) drop compared to perioperative IV TA alone. Patients undergoing primary elective knee arthro- plasty at our institution were invited to participate in the study (n=50). A computer-generated randomisation sequence was created online (www.randomization. org), with an allocation ratio of 1:1 and a block size of 50. Group A received perioperative IV TA alone and post-operative oral TA (n= 26) and Group B received perioperative IV TA plus 48 hours additional oral placebo (n= 24). Day 3 total blood loss and Hb drop was calculated. Continuous, normally distributed data (total blood loss) was compared utilising using one-way analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey test. Continuous skewed data (Hb drop) was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Group A demonstrated a trend in decreased total blood loss that was close to statistical significance ( p = 0.072). No difference in Hb drop was identified between the 2 groups. Increased nausea was also observed in Group A. The administration of oral TA to post-operative knee arthroplasty patients does not improve further blood loss compared to patients receiving perioperative IV TA pre-operatively and at wound closure.

Intra-articular versus intravenous administration of tranexamic acid in lower limb total arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials

AIM

The ideal route of tranexamic acid (TXA) administration in total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. This study aims to identify the optima route of TXA administration in THA or TKA.

METHODS

PUBMED, EMBASE, MEDLINE and CENTRAL database were systematically searched until 4 August 2021 for randomised studies that compared intravenous (IV) or intra-articular (IA) administration of TXA in THA or TKA.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven studies enrolling 8335 patients (IA: 4162; IV: 4173) were eligible for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Comparable results were demonstrated in the incidence of venous thromboembolisation (OR:0.96, p = 0.84), total blood loss (MD: - 9.05, p = 0.36), drain output (MD: - 7.36, p = 0.54), hidden blood loss (MD: - 6.85, p = 0.47), postoperative haemoglobin level (MD: 0.01, p = 0.91), haemoglobin drop (MD: - 0.10, p = 0.22), blood transfusion rate (OR: 0.99, p = 0.87), total adverse events (OR: 1.12, p = 0.28), postoperative range of motion (MD: 1.08, p = 0.36), postoperative VAS pain score (MD: 0.13, p = 0.24) and postoperative D-dimer level (MD: 0.61, p = 0.64). IV route of TXA administration was associated with significantly longer length of hospital stay compared to IA route of administration (MD: - 0.22, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

In this meta-analysis, both IV and IA route of TXA administration were equally effective in managing blood loss and postoperative outcomes in lower limb joints arthroplasty.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 1. PROSPERO Registration CRD42021271355.

EFFICACY OF EXTENDED ORAL TRANEXAMIC ACID ON BLOOD LOSS IN PRIMARY TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Introduction:

Tranexamic acid is widely used for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the duration of systemic tranexamic acid (TXA) administration varies in many reports. Hence, this study aims to compare blood loss between a single intravenous (IV) TXA dose, and one dose of IV TXA combined with oral TXA, during 48-hour postoperative care in primary TKA.

Methods:

Ninety-four patients with primary osteoarthritis, who underwent primary TKA, were randomized into two groups. The first group consisted of 47 patients and received a dose of 750 mg IV TXA and 750 mg oral TXA postoperatively at 8-hour intervals for 48 hours. In the second group, 47 patients received a single dose of IV TXA and a placebo at the same intervals for the same time duration. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured at 4, 24 and 72 hours after operation.

Results:

The mean total blood loss were not different between the two groups (p=0.37). There was no difference in total Hb reduction or closed suction drainage outputs (p=0.9 and 0.07, respectively).

Conclusion:

The extended use of oral TXA for 48-hour postoperative care did not decrease the total blood loss following TKA compared with a single dose of IV TXA. Level Of Evidence I; High quality randomized trial .

The efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid in high tibial osteotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

The present meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the application of tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients undergoing high tibial osteotomy (HTO).

Methods

PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for relevant literature from inception until 1 February 2021. A combined searching strategy of subject words and random words was adopted. After testing for potential publication bias and/or heterogeneity, we aggregated variables by using the random-effect model. The primary comparison outcome measures were total blood loss, hemoglobin decrease, drain output, wound complications, thrombotic events, and blood transfusion rate of the TXA group versus control. The meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 software.

Results

A total of 5 studies were included involving 532 patients. The results showed that there were significant differences in the two groups concerning total blood loss (95% confidence interval [CI] − 332.74 to − 146.46, P < 0.00001), hemoglobin decrease on postoperative day (POD) 1, 2, and 5 (POD 1 95% CI − 1.34 to − 0.63, P < 0.00001; POD 2 95% CI − 1.07 to − 0.68, P < 0.00001; POD 5 95% CI − 1.46 to − 0.84, P < 0.00001), drain output (POD total 95% CI − 195.86 to − 69.41, P < 0.00001) and wound complications (RR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.97, P = 0.04). Nonsignificant differences were found in the incidence of thromboembolic events (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.09 to 2.41, P = 0.36) and blood transfusion rate (RR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.03 to 2.27, P = 0.22).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis of the available evidence demonstrated that TXA could reduce total blood loss, hemoglobin decrease, drain output, and wound complications without increasing the incidence of thromboembolic events in patients undergoing HTO. But there is no obvious evidence that TXA could reduce blood transfusion rates. Further studies, including more large-scale and well-designed randomized controlled trials, are warranted to assess the efficacy and safety issues of routine TXA use in HTO patients.

Association of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid With Thromboembolic Events and Mortality: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-regression

IMPORTANCE

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an efficient antifibrinolytic agent; however, concerns remain about the potential adverse effects, particularly vascular occlusive events, that may be associated with its use.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between intravenous TXA and total thromboembolic events (TEs) and mortality in patients of all ages and of any medical disciplines.

DATA SOURCE

Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE were searched for eligible studies investigating intravenous TXA and postinterventional outcome published between 1976 and 2020.

STUDY SELECTION

Randomized clinical trials comparing intravenous TXA with placebo/no treatment. The electronic database search yielded a total of 782 studies, and 381 were considered for full-text review. Included studies were published in English, German, French, and Spanish. Studies with only oral or topical tranexamic administration were excluded.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Meta-analysis, subgroup and sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression were performed. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Vascular occlusive events and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 216 eligible trials including 125 550 patients were analyzed. Total TEs were found in 1020 (2.1%) in the group receiving TXA and 900 (2.0%) in the control group. This study found no association between TXA and risk for total TEs (risk difference = 0.001; 95% CI, -0.001 to 0.002; P = .49) for venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, venous TEs, myocardial infarction or ischemia, and cerebral infarction or ischemia. Sensitivity analysis using the risk ratio as an effect measure with (risk ratio = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.94-1.11; P = .56) and without (risk ratio = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.95-1.12; P = .52) studies with double-zero events revealed robust effect size estimates. Sensitivity analysis with studies judged at low risk for selection bias showed similar results. Administration of TXA was associated with a significant reduction in overall mortality and bleeding mortality but not with nonbleeding mortality. In addition, an increased risk for vascular occlusive events was not found in studies including patients with a history of thromboembolism. Comparison of studies with sample sizes of less than or equal to 99 (risk difference = 0.004; 95% CI, -0.006 to 0.014; P = .40), 100 to 999 (risk difference = 0.004; 95% CI, -0.003 to 0.011; P = .26), and greater than or equal to 1000 (risk difference = -0.001; 95% CI, -0.003 to 0.001; P = .44) showed no association between TXA and incidence of total TEs. Meta-regression of 143 intervention groups showed no association between TXA dosing and risk for venous TEs (risk difference, -0.005; 95% CI, -0.021 to 0.011; P = .53).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Findings from this systematic review and meta-analysis of 216 studies suggested that intravenous TXA, irrespective of dosing, is not associated with increased risk of any TE. These results help clarify the incidence of adverse events associated with administration of intravenous TXA and suggest that TXA is safe for use with undetermined utility for patients receiving neurological care.

Should We Use Intra-articular Tranexamic Acid Before or After Capsular Closure During Total Knee Replacement? A Study of 100 Knees

BACKGROUND

Intraarticular (IA) administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) is a proven way of reducing blood loss in total knee replacement (TKR). However, different methods of administration have been described in literature such as placement of an intra-articular swab soaked in TXA before capsular closure or injecting TXA intraarticularly after capsular closure. We decided to compare these two methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred consecutive patients planned for unilateral TKR between December 2018 and March 2019 were selected for the study and divided into 2 groups of 50 patients each. All patients received IV and oral TXA identically-15 mg/kg TXA IV preoperatively, 10 mg/kg IV TXA at 3 and 6 h postoperatively, and 1 g oral TXA for the next 2 days. Group A was given IA TXA via swab soaked with 1 g TXA in 100 ml normal saline (NS) before closure of arthtrotomy, while Group B was given 1 g of IA TXA via injection in the knee after capsular closure. Preoperative haemoglobin (Hb) and postoperative day 4 Hb values were measured. Blood loss was calculated and compared in both groups using Mann Whitney test.

RESULT

The mean blood loss was 652.23 ± 64.36 ml in Group A and 542.68 ± 266.23 ml in Group B. The difference in blood loss between both groups was found to be clinically significant with a p-value of 0.03236 (significant, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Injecting TXA intraarticularly after capsular closure is more effective than using an intra-articular swab containing TXA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III Retrospective Comparative study.

Prophylactic Topical Tranexamic Acid Versus Placebo in Surgical Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis∗

OBJECTIVES

Perioperative bleeding remains a major concern to all clinicians caring for perioperative patients. Due to the theoretical risk of thromboembolic events associated with tranexamic acid (TXA) when administered intravenously, topical route of TXA has been extensively studied, but its safety and efficacy profile remain unclear in the literature. The primary aim of this review was to assess the effect of topical TXA on incidence of blood transfusion and mortality in adults undergoing surgery.

DATA SOURCES

EMBASE, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and ISI Web of Science were systematically searched from their inception until May 31, 2019.

REVIEW METHODS

Parallel-arm randomized controlled trials were included.

RESULTS

Seventy-one trials (7539 participants: orthopedics 5450 vs nonorthopedics 1909) were included for quantitative meta-analysis. In comparison to placebo, topical TXA significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss [mean difference (MD) -36.83 mL, 95% confidence interval (CI) -54.77 to -18.88, P < 0.001], total blood loss (MD -319.55 mL, 95% CI -387.42 to -251.69, P < 0.001), and incidence of blood transfusion [odds ratio (OR) 0.30, 95% CI 0.26-0.34, P < 0.001]. Patients who received topical TXA were associated with a shorter length of hospital stay (MD -0.28 days, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.08, P = 0.006). No adverse events associated with the use of topical TXA were observed, namely mortality (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.45-1.36, P = 0.39), pulmonary embolism (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.27-1.93, P = 0.52), deep vein thrombosis (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.65-1.77, P = 0.79), myocardial infarction (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.21-2.99, P = 0.73), and stroke (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.28-2.57, P = 0.77). Of all included studies, the risk of bias assessment was "low" for 20 studies, "unclear" for 26 studies and "high" for 25 studies.

CONCLUSIONS

In the meta-analysis of 71 trials (7539 patients), topical TXA reduced the incidence of blood transfusion without any notable adverse events associated with TXA in adults undergoing surgery.

PROSPERO

CRD 42018111762.

Comparative efficacy and safety of topical hemostatic agents in primary total knee arthroplasty: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Topical hemostatic agents are commonly used for reducing perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirement in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), although the optimal option has yet to be defined. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical hemostatic agents and rank the best intervention using the network meta-analysis (NMA) method.

METHODS

We searched Web of science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library database up to April 2020, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on topical hemostatic agents in primary TKA. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane "risk of bias" tool. Direct and indirect comparisons were performed for the result of network meta-analysis followed by consistency test.

RESULTS

Thirty seven RCTs with 3792 patients were included in this NMA and the pooled results indicated that tranexamic acid plus diluted epinephrine (TXA+DEP) displayed the highest efficacy in reducing total blood loss, hemoglobin drop and transfusion requirement. None of the included treatments was found to increase risk of thromboembolic events compared to placebo. According to the results of ranking probabilities, TXA+DEP had the highest possibility to be the best topical hemostatic agent with regard to the greatest comparative efficacy and a relatively high safety level.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence supports that administration of TXA+DEP may be the optimal topical hemostatic agent to decrease blood loss and transfusion requirement in primary TKA. More direct studies that focused on the topical application of TXA+DEP versus other treatments are needed in the future.

First Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of the Use of Tranexamic Acid against ε-Aminocapróic Acid via the Oral Route for the Reduction of Postoperative Bleeding in TKA: A Clinical Trial

Total primary knee replacement results in significant postoperative bleeding. There are reports that 20 to 50% of the patients require a blood transfusion, which has been related to many complications, resulting in the search for strategies to reduce bleeding. The use of oral antifibrinolytics is becoming a low cost and safe way of achieving this goal. The hypothesis of this study was that the use of oral aminocaproic acid could provide similar results to the use of oral tranexamic acid (TXA). The purpose was to compare the effects of oral aminocaproic acid as a hemostatic agent versus the use of oral TXA administered in multiple doses pre and postsurgery in patients undergoing total primary knee replacement. We enrolled 92 patients that were randomly divided into two groups: received three doses of aminocaproic acid (2,000 mg per dose) or three doses of oral TXA (1,300 mg per dose). The drugs were administered according to the following schedule: 2 hours before surgery and 6 and 12 hours after surgery. The variables that were analyzed to compare the effectiveness of the hemostatic agents were total blood loss; hidden blood loss; external blood loss; transfusion rate; intraoperative blood loss; decreases in hemoglobin and hematocrit values; surgical drainage output; visual analogue scale; and surgical complications. There were no significant differences between any of the study variables for the group receiving oral aminocaproic acid and the group receiving oral TXA (p > 0.05), with the exception of patients who received TXA, who presented with more adverse events (p = 0.04). Our study showed that the use of oral aminocaproic acid was similar to its counterpart TXA regarding the evaluated parameters. Although patients who received TXA presented an average of 140 mL less blood loss than patients in the ε-ACA group, the difference did not appear to be clinically important, the transfusion rate was very low, and there were no between-group differences in postoperative complications.

Complications of Tranexamic Acid in Orthopedic Lower Limb Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

OBJECTIVE

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is increasingly used in orthopedic surgery to reduce blood loss; however, there are concerns about the risk of venous thromboembolic (VTE) complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate TXA safety in patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgical procedures.

DESIGN

A meta-analysis was performed on the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases in January 2020 using the following string (Tranexamic acid) AND ((knee) OR (hip) OR (ankle) OR (lower limb)) to identify RCTs about TXA use in patients undergoing every kind of lower limb surgical orthopedic procedures, with IV, IA, or oral administration, and compared with a control arm to quantify the VTE complication rates.

RESULTS

A total of 140 articles documenting 9,067 patients receiving TXA were identified. Specifically, 82 studies focused on TKA, 41 on THA, and 17 on other surgeries, including anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, intertrochanteric fractures, and meniscectomies. The intravenous TXA administration protocol was studied in 111 articles, the intra-articular in 45, and the oral one in 7 articles. No differences in terms of thromboembolic complications were detected between the TXA and control groups neither in the overall population (2.4% and 2.8%, respectively) nor in any subgroup based on the surgical procedure and TXA administration route.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an increasing interest in TXA use, which has been recently broadened from the most common joint replacement procedures to the other types of surgeries. Overall, TXA did not increase the risk of VTE complications, regardless of the administration route, thus supporting the safety of using TXA for lower limb orthopedic surgical procedures.

Ideal intraarticular application dose of tranexamic acid in primary total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized and controlled study

Background

Combined use of tranexamic acid (TXA) via intravenous (IV) and intraarticular (IA) routes is more effective in reducing blood loss than any single route in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but the optimal dose of topical administration remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different combined administration strategies and to determine an ideal IA application dose of TXA.

Methods

A total of 180 patients who underwent primary TKA were randomized to four groups (groups A/B/C/D) with the same single IV dose of 1 g TXA preoperatively and four different IA doses after wound closure: group A (0 g), group B (1 g), group C (2 g), and group D (4 g). The primary outcome measures included wound blood drainage, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and blood transfusion. The secondary outcome measures included wound complications, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE).

Results

A total of 165 patients finished at least 3 months of follow-up visits. The amount of 48-hour blood drainage and calculated total blood loss in four groups decreased with the increased dose of TXA injected via IA route, and no difference was observed between groups C and D (P=0.6237 and P=0.9923, respectively). Hb was significantly higher in groups C and D than in groups A and B at postoperative day 1, 3 and 7, respectively (P<0.0001). Hb in group A was significantly lower than that in groups C and D at 1 month after surgery, whereas no intergroup difference was found in other groups. No intergroup difference was observed regarding DVT, PE or wound complications.

Conclusions

The topical injection of 2 g TXA may have reached the “ceiling effect” of local use. A preoperative IV dose of 1 g TXA combined with an IA dose of 2 g TXA could be an optimal combination regimen.

Comparison of oral versus intravenous tranexamic acid in total knee and hip arthroplasty: A GRADE analysis and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The efficacy and safety of oral tranexamic acid (TXA) remain controversial because of the small number of clinical studies. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy and safety of oral TXA with intravenous TXA in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving oral and intravenous TXA in total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty up to December 2019 by searching databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Library China Biology Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database and Wanfang. The mean difference or standard mean difference was used to assess continuous outcomes such as hemoglobin (Hb) drop, total blood loss, drain blood loss, and length of hospital stay, with a 95% confidence interval. Relative risks with a 95% confidence interval were used to assess dichotomous outcomes such as transfusion rate and the incidence of deep venous thrombosis and calf muscular vein thrombosis. Review Manager was used for the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Ten RCTs containing 1080 participants met the inclusion criteria. We found no significant differences in terms of the average Hb drop (P = .60), total blood loss (P = .60), transfusion rate (P = .99), drain blood loss (P = .91), length of hospital stay (P = .95), and the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (P = .55) and calf muscular vein thrombosis (P = .19) between oral and IV TXA.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the IV TXA, oral TXA has similar effects on reducing the Hb drop, total blood loss, transfusion rate, drain blood loss, and length of hospital stay without increasing the risk of calf muscular vein thrombosis and deep venous thrombosis. Furthermore, oral TXA is easy to access and administer, which decreases the workload of nurses and even delivers cost-saving benefits to the health care system. We thus conclude that oral TXA may be an optimal approach in total joint arthroplasty. However, more high-quality and multicenter RCTs are still needed to confirm our conclusions.

REGISTRATION

The current meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews), and the registration number was CRD42018111291.

The optimal regimen of oral tranexamic acid administration for primary total knee/hip replacement: a meta-analysis and narrative review of a randomized controlled trial

Background

Oral tranexamic acid (TXA) has been demonstrated to reduce the blood loss in primary total knee and hip arthroplasty, but the optimal regimen of oral TXA administration is still unknown. This study aimed to find the best number of administrations of oral TXA for primary total knee and hip arthroplasty.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant studies published before March 20, 2020. Studies clearly reporting a comparison of multiple administrations of oral TXA for total hip/knee replacement were included, and the total blood loss (TBL), intraoperative blood loss (IBL), decline in hemoglobin (DHB), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), intramuscular venous thrombosis (IVT), length of hospital stay (LOS), and transfusion rate were evaluated. The weighted mean differences and relative risks were calculated using a fixed effects or random effects model.

Results

Nine studies involving 1678 patients were included in this meta-analysis (TXA 1363 (one administration, 201; two administrations, 496; three administrations, 215; four administrations, 336; five administrations, 115); placebo 315); the results show that compared with placebo groups, oral TXA could significantly reduce the TBL, IBL, DHB, LOS, and transfusion rate. In addition, the incidences of IVT and DVT were similar between the TXA and placebo groups. Moreover, two administrations of oral TXA significantly reduced the TBL and DHB compared with one administration, three administrations of oral TXA were better than two administrations, and four administrations of oral TXA were better than three administrations.

Conclusion

Our results suggested that oral TXA could significantly reduce the blood loss and the length of hospital stay but could not increase the incidence of DVT and IVT for total joint replacement patients; additionally, the effectiveness of oral TXA administration increased as the number of administrations increased.

Administration of Tranexamic Acid Improves Long-Term Outcomes in Total Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Blood transfusion in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with increased morbidity, including periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces blood transfusion rates, but there is limited evidence demonstrating improved outcomes in TKA resulting from TXA administration. The objectives of this study are determining whether TXA is associated with decreased rate of PJI, decreased rate of outcomes associated with PJI, and whether there are differences in rates of adverse events.

METHODS

A multicenter cohort study comprising 23,421 TKA compared 4423 patients receiving TXA to 18,998 patients not receiving TXA. Primary outcome was PJI within 2 years of TKA. Secondary outcomes included revision surgery, irrigation and debridement, transfusion, and length of stay. Adverse events included readmission, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Adjusted odds ratios were determined using linear mixed models controlling for age, sex, thromboembolic prophylaxis, Charlson comorbidity index, year of TKA, and surgeon.

RESULTS

TXA administration reduced incidence of PJI by approximately 50% (odds ratio [OR], 0.55; P = .03). Additionally, there was decreased incidence of revision surgery at 2 years (OR, 0.66; P = .02). Patients receiving TXA had reductions in transfusion rate (OR, 0.15; P < .0001) and length of stay (P < .0001). There was no difference in the rate of pulmonary emboli (OR, 1.20; P = .39), myocardial infarction (OR, 0.78; P = .55), or stroke (OR, 1.17; P = .77).

CONCLUSION

Administration of TXA in TKA resulted in reduced rate of PJI and overall revision surgery. No difference in thromboembolic events were observed. The use of TXA is safe and improves outcomes in TKA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, Observational Cohort Study.

Efficacy of a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose versus a single-dose of tranexamic acid in total hip and knee arthroplasty

Background

The application of tranexamic acid (TXA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has brought momentous changes in blood management. However, the optimal regimen of TXA has not yet been identified. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA with a single pre-operative dose of TXA in patients who undergo THA and TKA.

Method

We retrospectively analyzed two groups of consecutive patients who received primary unilateral THA and TKA from 2015 to 2017. One group received a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA, while another group received a single-dose of TXA. The primary outcomes included the changes in hemoglobin (Hb), estimated total blood loss (TBL), and transfusion rate; the secondary outcomes included the platelet (PLT) counts, inflammatory markers, and fibrinolysis parameters.

Results

A total of 193 THA and 166 TKA procedures were included for comparison. Compared with the patients who received a single-dose of TXA, the patients who received a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA had smaller post-operative drops in Hb levels, which led to consistently significantly higher Hb levels in both THA and TKA. Therefore, the use of multiple-dose of TXA was associated with significantly lower maximum Hb drops and estimated TBL in both THA (24.58±11.43 vs. 30.38±11.33 g/L, P=0.001; 685.88±412.02 vs. 968.94±479.9 mL, P<0.0001) and TKA (18.04±9.75 vs. 27.24±10.99 g/L, P<0.0001; 497.35±291.03 vs. 816.51±354.38 mL, P<0.0001), and marginally reduced transfusion requirements (THA: 1/65 vs. 10/128; TKA: 0/70 vs. 2/96). The multiple-dose group also showed higher PLT counts, continuously reduced inflammatory responses, and significantly and durably attenuated fibrinolytic responses.

Conclusions

A three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA was consistently effective in reducing post-operative Hb drops, estimated TBL, inflammatory responses, and fibrinolytic responses, which could be recommended for clinical practice. However, these findings need to be confirmed by prospective studies.

Comparison of efficacy and safety between oral and intravenous administration of tranexamic acid for primary total knee/hip replacement: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial

Background

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been demonstrated to reduce blood loss following primary total knee and hip arthroplasty. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous tranexamic acid for primary total knee and hip arthroplasty.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant studies published before June 20, 2019. Studies clearly reporting a comparison of oral and intravenous TXA were selected, and total blood loss (TBL), the decline in hemoglobin (DHB), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), intramuscular venous thrombosis (IVT), the length of hospital stay, and the transfusion rate were evaluated. The weighted mean differences and relative risks were calculated using a fixed-effects or random-effects model.

Results

Ten studies involving 1140 (oral 557; intravenous 583) patients were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in terms of total blood loss, the decline in hemoglobin, the length of hospital stay, the incidence of DVT or IVT, or the transfusion rate between the oral and intravenous groups, and five studies reported that oral TXA was associated with a lower cost.

Conclusion

Our research suggests that compared with intravenous use of TXA, the oral approach has similar clinical outcomes and is less expensive for total joint replacement patients.

Intravenous and subsequent long-term oral tranexamic acid in enhanced-recovery primary total knee arthroplasty without the application of a tourniquet: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

To assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous and subsequent long-term oral tranexamic acid (TXA) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without a tourniquet.

METHODS

In this double-blinded trial, 118 patients undergoing primary TKA were randomized into two groups: the patients in group A received intravenous TXA at 20-mg/kg 10 min before the surgery and 3 h postoperatively, and then oral 1 g TXA from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 14, and the patients in group B received intravenous TXA at 20-mg/kg 10 min before surgery and 3 h postoperatively, and then oral 1 g placebo from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 14. The primary outcome was total blood loss. Secondary outcomes included ecchymosis area and morbidity, postoperative transfusion, postoperative laboratory values, postoperative knee function and length of hospital stay. Complications, and patient satisfaction were also recorded.

RESULTS

The mean total blood loss was lower in Group A than in Group B (671.7 ml vs 915.8 ml, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the transfusion rate between the two groups. Group A had a higher hemoglobin than Group B on POD 3 (106.0 g/L vs 99.7 g/L, P = 0.001). However, no significant difference was found for Hb or hematocrit on POD 1 or POD 14 between the two groups. Patients in Group A had less ecchymosis morbidity (7 vs 38, P = 0.001), smaller ecchymosis area (1.6 vs 3.0, P = 0.001) than Group B. The blood coagulation level as measured by fibrinolysis (D-Dimer) was lower in Group A than in Group B on POD 1 and POD 3 (4.6 mg/L vs. 8.4 mg/L, respectively, P = 0.001; 1.5 mg/L vs. 3.3 mg/L, respectively, P = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference on POD 14, and the fibrin degradation products showed the same trend. Patients in Group A had less swelling than those in Group B on POD 3 and POD 14. The circumference of the knee was 43.1 cm vs. 46.1 cm (POD 3, P = 0.001) and 41.4 cm vs. 44.9 cm (POD 14, P = 0.001) in Group A vs Group B, respectively. Nevertheless, the circumference of the knee in the two groups was similar on POD 1 and POD 3 M. No significant differences were identified in knee function, pain score, or hospital stay. No significant differences were identified in thromboembolic complications, infection, hematoma, wound healing and patients satisfaction between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Intravenous and subsequent long-term oral TXA produced less blood loss and less swelling and ecchymosis compared with short-term TXA without increasing the risk of complications.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( ChiCTR-IPR-17012264 ).

Comparison of oral vs. combined topical/intravenous/oral tranexamic acid in the prevention of blood loss in total knee arthroplasty: A randomised clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has long been used to reduce blood loss associated with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Debate remains over the best administration route with limited data comparing regimes including, to date, no studies investigating the equivalence of oral TXA and a combined topical/intravenous (IV) regime. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of oral TXA to combined topical/IV/oral TXA.

WORKING HYPOTHESIS

We postulated that oral TXA would offer the same efficacy and safety as combined topical/IV/oral regime. We asked: (1) Would blood loss and haemoglobin change be affected? (2) Would complication rates increase?

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients were randomised into either the study group (oral TXA regimen) or the control group (combined topical/IV/oral TXA). Both groups were administered three doses of TXA and received the same post-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. Efficacy outcomes including blood loss and haemoglobin (Hb) change were investigated, together with safety outcomes of incidence of deep vein thrombosis and adverse events.

RESULTS

The study (n=25) and control (n=28) group were comparable at baseline (eg pre-op haemoglobin). No significant difference was found between the study and control group in terms of Hb change (32.9±8.9 vs. 31.8±10.4, p=0.687) or blood loss (measured 640.0±291.1 vs. 538.3±270.2, p=0.173 and total 1211.5±336.0 vs. 1092.9±341.4, p=0.214). No cases of DVT were reported for either group and no statistical differences were found in the incidence of adverse events (nausea, hypotension, constipation) between groups.

DISCUSSION

This study has shown for the first time that an oral TXA regimen is non-inferior to a topical/IV/oral regimen in TKA in efficacy and safety. Utilising oral TXA in place of a combined topical/IV/oral regime can significantly reduce costs without compromising patient outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II, Randomised controlled trial.

Preoperative Tranexamic Acid for Treatment of Bleeding, Edema, and Ecchymosis in Patients Undergoing Rhinoplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance

Evidence has emerged on the efficacy of tranexamic acid to control blood loss and postoperative complications after rhinoplasty.

Objective

To investigate the results of tranexamic acid use to reduce intraoperative bleeding, postoperative eyelid edema, and periorbital ecchymosis in rhinoplasty.

Data Sources and Study Selection

For this systematic review of randomized clinical trials, searches were performed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Google Scholar, OpenThesis, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to December 23, 2017. Key words included tranexamic acid, rhinoplasty, and nasal surgical procedures. The following elements were used to define eligibility criteria: (1) population: patients undergoing rhinoplasty surgery; (2) intervention and controls: tranexamic acid vs placebo solution or no-treatment control group; (3) outcomes: intraoperative bleeding, postoperative eyelid edema and periorbital ecchymosis, and thromboembolic events; and (4) study type: randomized clinical trials.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

Two reviewers extracted data and assessed study quality according to the Cochrane guidelines for randomized clinical trials. Treatment effects were defined as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CIs. The strength of evidence was analyzed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation rating system.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Intraoperative bleeding, postoperative eyelid edema and periorbital ecchymosis. To calculate the effect sizes, means and SDs were obtained for each study group and outcome of interest.

Results

Five studies comprising 276 patients were included in the systematic review: 177 patients (64.1%) were women, and mean age was 26.8 (range, 16-42) years. Four studies comprising 246 patients estimated the amount in intraoperative bleeding as a primary outcome and were included in the meta-analysis. Eyelid edema and ecchymosis were evaluated as outcomes in 2 studies. Tranexamic acid was associated with reduced bleeding during rhinoplasty was found (WMD, -42.28 mL; 95% CI, -70.36 to -14.21 mL), with differences (P = .01) between oral (WMD, -61.70 mL; 95% CI, -83.02 to -40.39 mL; I2 = 0%) and intravenous (WMD, -23.88 mL; 95% CI, -45.19 to -2.58 mL; I2 = 56%) administration. Eyelid edema and ecchymosis scores in patients receiving tranexamic acid were significantly lower compared with the control group within the first postoperative week: lower eyelid edema, WMD, -0.76; 95% CI, -1.04 to -0.49 and lower eyelid ecchymosis, WMD, -0.94; 95% CI, -1.80 to -0.08. No cases of thromboembolic events were reported.

Conclusions and Relevance

Current available evidence suggests that preoperative administration of tranexamic acid is safe and may reduce intraoperative bleeding as well as postoperative eyelid edema and ecchymosis in patients undergoing rhinoplasty.

Intrauterine Instillation of Tranexamic Acid in Hysteroscopic Myomectomy: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Randomized Clinical Trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the hemostatic effect of intrauterine instillation of tranexamic acid (TXA) with the distention medium during hysteroscopic myomectomy.

DESIGN

Prospective, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.

SETTING

Early Cancer Detection Unit in Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.

PATIENTS

Eighty women with type 0 or I submucous myoma undergoing hysteroscopic myomectomy using unipolar resectoscope.

INTERVENTIONS

The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 1 g of TXA for every 1000 mL of the distending medium (intervention group) or 10 mL of placebo (10 mL of 1.5% glycine) in the same form inside every 1000 mL of the distention medium.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The primary outcome was a change in hemoglobin level 24 hours after surgery compared with preoperative values, and the secondary outcomes were the surgeon's rating of intraoperative bleeding and the quality of operative view, the duration of surgery, the volume of injected media, intraoperative complications, and the completion of myomectomy in 1 procedure. The mean difference in hemoglobin level was 1.11 ±.58 g/dL in the TXA group and 1.46 ± 0.61 g/dL in the placebo group (p = .015). The quality of hysteroscopic view was better in the TXA group (p = .001), with good operative view in 23 (60.5%) cases in TXA vs 8 (20.5%) in the placebo group. The surgeon's rating of bleeding as excessive was reported in 1 (2.6%) case in the TXA group and in 9 (23.1%) cases in the placebo group. There was no difference between the groups regarding the duration of surgery, the volume of injected media, completion of myoma resection in 1 session, and intraoperative complications. Three cases of uterine perforation with the thermal loop were reported, and all were associated with poor operative field in the placebo group.

CONCLUSION

Intrauterine instillation of TXA with the distention medium during hysteroscopic myomectomy resulted in a statistically significant decrease in hemoglobin level 24 hours after surgery, albeit with minimal clinical significance. TXA resulted in better visualization of the field throughout the procedure.

Application of thrombelastography (TEG) for safety evaluation of tranexamic acid in primary total joint arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Questions remain, mainly concerning whether tranexamic acid (TXA) is truly safe since all available trials were underpowered to identify clinically important differences. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of TXA by using a novel technique-thromboelastography (TEG).

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted on 359 consecutive patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and received multiple-dose or single-dose of TXA at a tertiary academic center. TEG parameters, TEG coagulation status, conventional coagulation test parameters, and incidence of thrombotic events were used for safety evaluation.

RESULTS

Compared with single-dose cohort, patients who received multiple-dose of TXA had consistent statistically significant shortened R times on post-operative day 1 (POD1) and POD3 in both THA (POD1: 4.06 ± 0.71 s versus 4.45 ± 1.28 s, P = 0.011; POD3: 4.36 ± 0.83 s versus 5.12 ± 1.64 s, P < 0.0001) and TKA (POD1: 3.90 ± 0.73 s versus 4.29 ± 0.92 s, P = 0.011; POD3: 4.24 ± 0.94 s versus 4.65 ± 1.07 s, P = 0.023), while the K, α-angle, and MA values were similar during the perioperative period. TEG coagulation status analysis indicated that patients were significantly (P = 0.003) more likely with hypercoagulable status during the course of multiple-dose TXA. Conventional coagulation test parameters were similar. Only one patient developed calf vein thrombosis in the multiple-dose cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple-dose of TXA was associated with aggravated hypercoagulable state when compared with single-dose of TXA, but this prothrombotic state does not provoke thrombosis when combined with appropriate anticoagulant therapy. Therefore, multiple-dose of TXA remains safe and could be recommended for clinical practice. Potential benefits and possible risks should be trade-off when considering increasing the dosage and frequency of TXA on the present basis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR1800015422 .

Multiple intravenous tranexamic acid doses in total knee arthroplasty without tourniquet: a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is widely used in the orthopedic field and particularly in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Its efficacy and safety in reducing the blood loss in TKA have been well-documented in the current literature. Little data regarding TKA without tourniquet and TXA exist. Our aim is to compare three different dosages of intravenous (IV) TXA in TKA without tourniquet.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 180 patients undergoing TKA for knee osteoarthritis were stratified in three equal groups. All surgeries were performed under spinal anesthesia, without tourniquet. Group A (60 patients) received 15 mg/kg of IV TXA given on induction, Group B (60 patients) received an additional dose of IV TXA (15 mg/kg) 3 h after incision and Group C (60 patients) received an additional (third) dose 3 h later (15 mg/kg). The measured outcomes were the change in hemoglobin (Hb) from pre-operatively to post-operatively, the amount of blood transfusion given (units), the functional and quality of life (QoL) and pain assessment based on their corresponding scoring system.

RESULTS

Calculated blood loss, Hb decrease and transfusion rate were significantly lower in Group C (p value < 0.05). Additionally, patients that had been included in the three-dosage group benefited much more in terms of faster rehabilitation, better QoL, decreased post-operative pain, with no increase in complications.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, three doses of IV TXA have effectively and safely reduced blood loss and the need of allogeneic blood transfusion in patients undergoing TKA without tourniquet, with additional patients-related benefits.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II.

Oral vs intravenous tranexamic acid in total-knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of oral tranexamic acid (TXA) with intravenous (IV) TXA in reducing perioperative blood loss in total-knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total-hip arthroplasty (THA).

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were fully searched for relevant studies. Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of oral TXA with IV TXA in TKA and THA were included in this research. Odds ratio (OR) or risk difference (RD) was applied to compare dichotomous variables, while mean difference (MD) was used to compare continues variables.

RESULTS

A total of 7 studies (5 randomized controlled trials and 2 retrospective studies) were included into this study. As for patients undergoing TKA or THA, there were no obvious differences between oral TXA group and IV TXA group in hemoglobin (Hb) drop (MD = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.01 to 0.13, P = .09), transfusion rate (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.54-1.13, P = .19), total blood loss (MD = 16.31, 95% CI = -69.85 to 102.46, P = .71), total Hb loss (MD = 5.18, 95% CI = -12.65 to 23.02, P = .57), length of hospital stay (MD = -0.06, 95% CI = -0.30 to 0.18, P = .63), drain out (MD = 21.04, 95% CI = -15.81 to 57.88, P = .26), incidence of deep vein deep vein thrombosis (RD = 0.00, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.01, P = .82) or pulmonary embolism (RD = 0.00, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.01, P = .91). The sample size of this study was small and several included studies were with relatively low quality.

CONCLUSION

Oral TXA is equivalent to IV TXA in reducing perioperative blood loss and should be recommended in TKA and THA. More high-quality studies are needed to elucidate this issue.

Transfusions and cost-benefit of oral versus intravenous tranexamic acid in primary total hip arthroplasty: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to assess the cost benefit and transfusions of oral and IV tranexamic acid (TXA) in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA).

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral and IV TXA in primary THA. Primary outcomes were total blood loss, maximum hemoglobin drop, transfusion requirements, and cost benefit. Secondary outcomes were length of stay, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE).

RESULTS

Four independent RCTs were included involving 391 patients. There was no difference in the total blood loss (P = .99), maximum hemoglobin drop (P = .73), and the length of stay (P = .95) between the 2 groups. Transfusion requirements (P = .97) were similar. The total mean cost was the US $75.41 in oral TXA group and the US $580.83 in IV TXA group. The incidence of DVT (P = .3) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups, and no PE was reported in all studies.

CONCLUSION

Oral TXA shows similar efficacy and safety as IV TXA in reducing total blood loss, maximum hemoglobin drop and transfusion requirements in primary THA. However, oral TXA may be more cost-benefit than IV TXA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level I, therapeutic study.

Comparison between oral and intravenous application of tranexamic acid for total hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

Aim: We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous applications of tranexamic acid (TXA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Materials & methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, ScienceDirect and Embase, were searched to identify the studies comparing the efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous applications of TXA in THA. Relevant journals and conference proceedings were manually searched. The pooled data were analyzed using RevMan 5.1. Results: Four randomized control trials and one retrospective study were identified. A meta-analysis showed no significant differences in hemoglobin reduction, total blood loss and transfusion requirements. Conclusion: Oral applications of TXA are comparable to intravenous applications of TXA in primary unilateral THA for blood conservation and cost-saving measures.

[Comparison of combined intravenous and topical use of tranexamic acid with different dosage in primary total knee arthroplasty]

Objective

To compare the efficacy and safety of intra-articular combined with intravenous administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) with different dosage for reducing blood loss in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

Between January 2017 and June 2017, 90 patients suffering from unilateral osteoarthritis who underwent primary TKA were randomly scheduled to three interventions, named groups A, B, and C. Single dosage of TXA via intravenous injection (IV) and different dosages of TXA via intra-articular injection (IA) were utilized in three groups, respectively. All patients in three groups received 1 g TXA IV at 10 minutes preoperatively, and received 1, 2, and 3 g TXA IA diluted in 50 mL saline after wound closure in groups A, B and C, respectively. The age, gender, body mass index, affected side of the knee, grade of osteoarthritis, grade of America Society of Anesthesiologist, preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, platelet count, preoperative prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were not significantly different between groups ( P>0.05). The postoperative wound blood drainage, Hb concentration at 1, 3, and 7 days after operation, transfusion rate, and thromboembolic complications were observed. All patients were routinely observed for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by the color Doppler ultrasonography at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after operation, and the symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) were observed.

Results

All patients in three groups were followed up 7-12 months (mean, 8.4 months). There was no significant difference in operation time between groups ( P>0.05). The postoperative wound blood drainage was significantly less in groups B and C than that in group A ( P<0.05), whereas no significant difference was found between group B and group C ( P>0.05). Incision skin necrosis occurred in 1 case of group B and fat liquefaction occurred in 1 case of group C. The other incisions of 3 groups healed by first intention. There was no significant difference in incision complication incidence between groups. The Hb concentration was significantly higher in groups B and C than that in group A at 1, 3, and 7 days after operation ( P<0.05). While between group B and group C, the significant difference of Hb concentration only existed at 1 day after operation ( P<0.05). The number of patients who got blood transfusion was significantly less in group B (4 cases, 13.3%) and group C (5 cases, 16.7%) than that in group A (9 cases, 30%) ( P< 0.05), but no significant difference was found between group B and group C ( P>0.05). The result of color Doppler ultrasonography showed that 1 case got DVT in the contralateral calf at 3 weeks in group B. And there was no symptomatic PE in 3 groups.

Conclusion

Combined administration of IV and IA TXA in a clinically relevant reduction in blood loss was effective and safe in primary TKA, and no thromboembolic complication was observed. The combination of 1 g IV with 2 g IA could be the optional choice.

Exclusion criteria and adverse events in perioperative trials of tranexamic acid: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an inexpensive therapy effective at minimizing perioperative blood loss and transfusion. However, it remains underutilized due to safety concerns. To date, no evidence-based guidelines exist identifying which patients should not receive TXA therapy. This study determined patient groups for whom safety information regarding TXA is lacking due to common exclusion from perioperative TXA trials.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A systematic review searching the databases Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.gov was performed. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) administering systemic TXA perioperatively to elective or emergent surgery patients were eligible. Our primary outcome was to describe exclusion criteria of RCTs, and the secondary outcome was TXA safety. A descriptive synthesis of exclusion criteria was performed, and TXA safety was assessed by meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 268 eligible RCTs were included. Meta-analysis showed that systemic TXA did not increase risk of adverse events compared to placebo or no intervention (relative risk, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.12). Patient groups commonly excluded from perioperative TXA trials, and thus potentially lacking TXA safety data, were those with major comorbidities, a history of thromboembolism, medication use affecting coagulation, TXA allergy, and coagulopathy. Exclusion of patients with major comorbidities may not be necessary; we showed that the risk of adverse events was similar in studies that excluded patients with major comorbidities and those that did not.

CONCLUSION

Sufficient evidence exists to develop perioperative guidelines for TXA use in many populations. Further studies evaluating perioperative TXA use in patients with a history of thromboembolism are warranted.

Efficacy and safety of oral compared with intravenous tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss after primary total knee and hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

Background

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an anti-fibrinolytic agent successfully preventing blood loss when using intravenously (IV) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). An oral administration, which is available on blood sparing, has been reported exhibit profound cost-saving benefits. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate whether the administration of oral and intravenous tranexamic acid postoperatively has equivalent blood-sparing properties in these patients.

Methods

The online electronic databases were searched for eligible literatures updated on September 2018. Studies assessing the effect between oral TXA and intravenous TXA (IV-TXA) in those undergoing TKA or THA were included. All the data were pooled with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) using RevMan software. Based on the heterogeneity, we performed a systematic analysis to explore the overall results across the included studies.

Results

Nine studies met our inclusion criteria. No significant differences were identified with regard to the Hb drop (SMD = − 0.03,95%CI = − 0.18–0.12, P = 0.67), total Hb loss (SMD = 0.10,95%CI = − 0.06–0.26, P = 0.24), total blood loss (SMD = − 0.00,95%CI = − 0.20–0.20, P = 1.00), transfusion rate (OR = 0.77,95%CI = 0.54–1.10, P = 0.14), DVT rate (OR = 0.58,95%CI = 0.19–1.75, P = 0.33), and length of hospital stay (SMD = − 0.05,95%CI = − 0.28–0.17, P = 0.63) between the oral groups and intravenous group.

Conclusion

The blood-sparing efficacy of oral TXA is similar to that of the intravenous forms in the setting of THA and TKA. Considering the cost-benefit superiority and ease of administration of oral TXA, further studies and clinical trials are required to further identify the optimal administration for THA and TKA.

The antifibrinolytic and anti-inflammatory effects of multiple doses of oral tranexamic acid in total knee arthroplasty patients: a randomized controlled trial

Essentials Perioperative blood loss and inflammatory response can significantly affect recovery after surgery. We studied the effects of multiple-dose oral tranexamic acid on blood loss and inflammatory response. A postoperative four-dose regimen brought about maximum reduction in postoperative blood loss. A postoperative four-dose regimen reduced inflammatory response and promoted early rehabilitation. SUMMARY: Background Tranexamic acid (TXA) can reduce blood loss and the inflammatory response at multiple doses in total knee arthroplasty patients. However, the optimal regimen has not been determined. Objectives To identify the most effective regimen for achieving maximum reductions in blood loss and the inflammatory response. Patients/Methods Two hundred and seventy-five patients were randomized to receive a placebo (group A), a single 2-g oral dose of TXA 2 h preoperatively followed by 1 g of oral TXA 3 h postoperatively (group B), a single dose followed by 1 g of oral TXA 3 h and 7 h postoperatively (group C), a single dose followed by 1 g of oral TXA 3 h, 7 h and 11 h postoperatively (group D), or a single dose followed by 1 g of oral TXA 3 h, 7 h, 11 h and 15 h postoperatively (group E). The primary outcome was total blood loss on postoperative day (POD) 3. Secondary outcomes included a decrease in the hemoglobin level, coagulation parameters, inflammatory marker levels, and thromboembolic complications. Results Groups D and E had significantly lower blood loss and smaller decreases in hemoglobin level than groups A, B, and C, with no significant difference on POD 3 between groups D and E. Significantly enhanced coagulation was identified for the four multiple-dose regimens; however, all thromboelastographic parameters remained within normal ranges. Group E had the lowest inflammatory marker levels and pain, and the greatest range of motion. No thromboembolic complications were identified. Conclusion The four-dose regimen yielded the maximum reductions in blood loss and inflammatory response, improved analgesia, and promoted early rehabilitation. Further studies are required to ensure that these findings are reproducible.

Oral tranexamic acid reduces blood loss in total-knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Postoperative hemorrhage following total-knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains an important topic. The objective of the meta-analysis is to assess the effectiveness of oral antifibrinolytics for blood management in patients undergoing TKA.

METHODS

We searched Medline (1966 to August 2018), PubMed (1966 to August 2018), Embase (1980 to August 2018), ScienceDirect (1985 to August 2018), and the Web of Science (1995 to August 2018) for randomized control trials (RCTs). To assess the heterogeneity of study trial and determine the model for analysis (random-effect model or fixed-effect model), I tests and Chi-squared were conducted. We utilized the STATA 12.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX) to perform all statistical analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 5 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis shows that there are significant differences between the 2 groups regarding total blood loss, hemoglobin reduction, and transfusion rates. In addition, no adverse effects were identified in treatment groups.

CONCLUSION

The oral form of antifibrinolytics in TKA is able to significantly decrease blood loss, postoperative hemoglobin reduction, as well as transfusion requirements. No increased risk of postoperative complications was observed. Higher quality RCTs is necessary to confirm our finding.

The Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

A growing body of published research on tranexamic acid (TXA) suggests that it is effective in reducing blood loss and the risk for transfusion in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this network meta-analysis was to evaluate TXA in primary TKA as the basis for the efficacy recommendations of the combined clinical practice guidelines of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Hip Society, Knee Society, and American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine on the use of TXA in primary total joint arthroplasty.

METHODS

We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for publications before July 2017 on TXA in primary total joint arthroplasty. All included studies underwent qualitative and quantitative homogeneity testing. Direct and indirect comparisons were performed as a network meta-analysis, and results were tested for consistency.

RESULTS

After critical appraisal of the available 2113 publications, 67 articles were identified as representing the best available evidence. Topical, intravenous (IV), and oral TXA formulations were all superior to placebo in terms of decreasing blood loss and risk of transfusion, while no formulation was clearly superior. Use of repeat IV and oral TXA dosing and higher doses of IV and topical TXA did not significantly reduce blood loss or risk of transfusion. Preincision administration of IV TXA had inconsistent findings with a reduced risk of transfusion but no effect on volume of blood loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Strong evidence supports the efficacy of TXA to decrease blood loss and the risk of transfusion after primary TKA. No TXA formulation, dosage, or number of doses provided clearly improved blood-sparing properties for TKA. Moderate evidence supports preincision administration of IV TXA to improve efficacy.

The Safety of Tranexamic Acid in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Direct Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is effective in reducing blood loss in total joint arthroplasty (TJA), but concerns still remain regarding the drug's safety. The purpose of this direct meta-analysis was to evaluate and establish a basis for the safety recommendations of the combined clinical practice guidelines on the use of TXA in primary TJA.

METHODS

A search was completed for studies published before July 2017 on TXA in primary TJA. We performed qualitative and quantitative homogeneity testing and a direct comparison meta-analysis. We used the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3 or greater as a proxy for patients at higher risk for complications in general and performed a meta-regression analysis to investigate the influence of comorbidity burden on the risk of arterial thromboembolic event and venous thromboembolic event (VTE).

RESULTS

Topical, intravenous, and oral TXA were not associated with an increased risk of VTE after TJA. In addition, meta-regression demonstrated that TXA use in patients with an ASA status of 3 or greater was not associated with an increased risk of VTE after total knee arthroplasty.

CONCLUSION

Although most studies included in our analysis excluded patients with a history of prior thromboembolic events, our findings support the lack of evidence of harm from TXA administration in patients undergoing TJA. Moderate evidence supports the safety of TXA in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty with an ASA score of 3 or greater. The benefits of using TXA appear to outweigh the potential risks of thromboembolic events even in patients with a higher comorbidity.

Efficacy and safety of multiple boluses of oral versus intravenous tranexamic acid at reducing blood loss after primary total knee arthroplasty without a tourniquet: A prospective randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to examine whether the administration of multiple boluses of oral or intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) postoperatively were equivalent at reducing blood loss and the inflammatory and fibrinolytic responses in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without a tourniquet.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized trial, patients undergoing primary THA were randomized into either an oral or intravenous TXA group. All patients received 1 dose of 20 mg/kg intravenous TXA 5-10 min before skin incision. Patients in the oral TXA group then received 3 doses of 2 g oral TXA at 4, 10, and 16 h postoperatively, while patients in the intravenous TXA group received 3 doses of 1 g intravenous TXA at 6, 12, and 18 h after surgery.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the hemoglobin (Hb) or hematocrit (Hct) drop on postoperative day 1 (14.7 ± 10.5 vs 14.4 ± 9.6 g/L, p = 0.869; 0.042 ± 0.032 vs 0.040 ± 0.028, p = 0.781) and 3 (22.6 ± 10.6 vs 20.5 ± 9.7 g/L, p = 0.300; 0.059 ± 0.031 vs 0.054 ± 0.031, p = 0.332). No patients needed an allogeneic blood transfusion. The mean total blood loss, hidden blood loss, length of hospital stay, the level of inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers on the first and third postoperative days, and the incidence of complications were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

There was no difference in Hb and Hct drop, blood loss, inflammatory and fibrinolytic responses in primary TKA without a tourniquet between those who received multiple boluses of oral or intravenous TXA after surgery in current scheme.

Tranexamic acid in primary total knee arthroplasty without tourniquet: a randomized, controlled trial of oral versus intravenous versus topical administration

Abundant literature confirms that intravenous (IV) and intra-articular (IA) administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces blood loss in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Oral formulations of TXA exhibit profound cost-saving benefits. However, comparisons of the clinical efficacy among three different modalities of TXA administration have not been previously investigated in the setting of TKA with no closed suction drain and tourniquet. A total of 180 patients undergoing TKA were randomized to receive 2-g oral TXA 2 hours preoperatively, 20-mg/kg IV TXA 5 minutes prior to incision, or 2-g IA TXA. The primary outcome was 72-hour blood loss. Secondary outcomes were reductions in hemoglobin, the rate of transfusions, and adverse events. No significant differences were identified with regard to the mean 72-hour blood loss among the three groups (1003 mL in oral group, 1108 mL in IV group, and 1059 mL in IA group, respectively). Similarly, hemoglobin reduction was equivalent among the groups. Only one patient in IV group exhibited deep venous thrombosis. No difference was identified regarding transfusion rates. Oral TXA results in similar blood loss in TKA, with a profound cost-saving benefit, compared with the IA and IV formulations.