Local Administration of Tranexamic Acid During Prostatectomy Surgery: Effects on Reducing the Amount of Bleeding

Management of severe peri-operative bleeding: Guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care: Second update 2022

BACKGROUND

Management of peri-operative bleeding is complex and involves multiple assessment tools and strategies to ensure optimal patient care with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality. These updated guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) aim to provide an evidence-based set of recommendations for healthcare professionals to help ensure improved clinical management.

DESIGN

A systematic literature search from 2015 to 2021 of several electronic databases was performed without language restrictions. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies and to formulate recommendations. A Delphi methodology was used to prepare a clinical practice guideline.

RESULTS

These searches identified 137 999 articles. All articles were assessed, and the existing 2017 guidelines were revised to incorporate new evidence. Sixteen recommendations derived from the systematic literature search, and four clinical guidances retained from previous ESAIC guidelines were formulated. Using the Delphi process on 253 sentences of guidance, strong consensus (>90% agreement) was achieved in 97% and consensus (75 to 90% agreement) in 3%.

DISCUSSION

Peri-operative bleeding management encompasses the patient's journey from the pre-operative state through the postoperative period. Along this journey, many features of the patient's pre-operative coagulation status, underlying comorbidities, general health and the procedures that they are undergoing need to be taken into account. Due to the many important aspects in peri-operative nontrauma bleeding management, guidance as to how best approach and treat each individual patient are key. Understanding which therapeutic approaches are most valuable at each timepoint can only enhance patient care, ensuring the best outcomes by reducing blood loss and, therefore, overall morbidity and mortality.

CONCLUSION

All healthcare professionals involved in the management of patients at risk for surgical bleeding should be aware of the current therapeutic options and approaches that are available to them. These guidelines aim to provide specific guidance for bleeding management in a variety of clinical situations.

Efficacy and Safety of Tranexamic Acid in Cancer Surgery. An Update of Clinical Findings and Ongoing Research

In cancer patients undergoing surgery, tumor biology and anticancer treatments can increase the risk of perioperative bleeding and blood transfusions. Notably, blood transfusions can be potentially associated with an increased risk of life-threatening immune responses, acute lung injury, postoperative infections, and thromboembolism. Moreover, the link between perioperative transfusion and increased risk of cancer recurrence cannot be excluded. On the other hand, cancer patients have an increased risk of thromboembolism due to cancer itself and antineoplastic systemic treatments including chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic drugs. In this complex scenario, effective and safe strategies aimed at the prevention of blood transfusions are warranted. This narrative review addresses the efficacy, and the safety of the synthetic antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid (TXA) when used perioperatively in cancer surgery. Although in not oncologic surgery the use of TXA has been extensively studied, in the setting of cancer patients requiring surgery, the evidence is scarce. An overview of the ongoing clinical research is also provided.

Safety and Efficacy of Local Tranexamic Acid for the Prevention of Surgical Bleeding in Soft-Tissue Surgery: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Plastic Surgery

Background:

Although high-bleed surgery routinely utilizes the antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid, most plastic surgical procedures are conducted in soft tissue with low-volume bleeding. Unease regarding possible systemic adverse effects prevents widespread systemic use, but local use of tranexamic acid is gaining popularity among plastic surgeons. Randomized controlled trials on topical use of tranexamic acid are mainly from high-bleed surgeries, and few studies address the effect in soft tissue. This article reviews the scientific evidence regarding local use of tranexamic acid in soft-tissue surgery, discusses pharmacological effects and possible adverse reactions, and presents recommendations for use in plastic surgery.

Methods:

A systematic search of databases for studies on local use of tranexamic acid in soft-tissue surgery was performed. Randomized controlled trials were included for a systematic review on effect; a narrative review regarding other clinically relevant aspects is based on extensive literature searches combined with the authors’ own research.

Results:

Fourteen randomized controlled trials, including 1923 patients, were included in the systematic review on local use of tranexamic acid in soft-tissue surgery.

Conclusions:

Local use of tranexamic acid may reduce blood loss comparably to intravenous prophylactic use with negligible risk of systemic adverse effects, but high-quality randomized controlled trials are few. Prolonged exposure to high local concentrations is discouraged, and direct contact with the central nervous system may cause seizures. No single superior means of administration or dosage is supported in the literature, and lowest effective dose is unknown. There may not be one single ideal dosing regimen, but rather many possibilities adaptable for different surgical situations.

Can tranexamic acid in irrigation fluid reduce blood loss during monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate? A randomised controlled trial

Objective

To assess the efficacity and safety of using tranexamic acid (TXA) in the irrigation solution during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Patients and Methods

A total of 50 patients undergoing TURP for benign prostatic hyperplasia were prospectively randomised in a controlled clinical trial and distributed into two groups. Group A received 0.1% TXA 1000 mg (10 mL) in 1 L of irrigation solution of sterile wash (glycine) during surgery, while Group B received 10 mL distilled water (placebo) in 1 L of irrigation solution of sterile wash (glycine) during surgery. At the end of surgery, a three-way catheter was inserted in the bladder. Group A received local 500 mg of TXA (5 mL), which was dissolved in 100 mL of normal saline solution, while Group B received distilled water (5 mL) dissolved in 100 mL of normal saline solution after which the catheter was clamped. The serum haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, haematocrit (HCT), blood loss volume, Hb concentration in the irrigation fluid, and bladder irrigation volumes were compared between the two groups at three time-points: preoperatively and at 4- and 24-h postoperatively. Coagulation function, complications, thromboembolic events, quality of endoscopic view, surgery duration, and hospital stay were also noted.

Results

Group A had significantly lower blood loss intraoperatively, and at 4- and 24-h postoperatively compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The serum Hb concentration, HCT, Hb concentration in the irrigation fluid, and bladder irrigation volumes were significantly lower in the TXA group vs the control group (P < 0.001). The shortening of the surgery duration and improvement in the quality of the endoscopic view were significantly noted in the TXA group (P = 0.001). However, no thromboembolic events occurred in either group.

Conclusion

The use of TXA in the irrigation fluid during TURP and injection into the bladder postoperatively can reduce blood loss and the need for blood transfusion without increasing the risk of thrombosis.

Safety and Efficacy of Using Tranexamic Acid at the Beginning of Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy in a Double-Blind Prospective Randomized Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

The prophylactic administration of tranexamic acid has been shown to be appropriate for procedures with a high risk of perioperative bleeding in cardiac surgery and orthopaedics. In urology the ambiguous results have been reported. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of tranexamic acid administration in robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). A pilot, prospective, double-blind, randomized study was conducted to evaluate this effect.

METHODS

The study included 100 patients who received RARP in the period from April 2017 to January 2018. The patients were randomly assigned to study and control groups of 50 patients each.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 6 months. Lower haemoglobin level drop weighted for gram of operated prostate was observed in the study group when treating the dorsal vein complex (DVC) at the beginning of the procedure (p = 0.004 after 3 hours and p < 0.001 after 24 hours). There was no evidence of any serious side effect of tranexamic acid.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated the safety of tranexamic acid at RARP. In addition, we showed that administration of tranexamic acid at the beginning of RARP significantly reduces the decrease in haemoglobin after the procedure when treating the DVC at the beginning of the procedure.

Use of Tumescent Anesthesia in Surgical Excision of Gynecomastia

Background. Gynecomastia, benign enlargement of the male breast is the most common breast pathology amongst males. The most widely used modality of treatment is liposuction under general anesthesia. To date however there is no published study that specifically addresses to use tumescent anesthesia & use of tranexamic acid in it for excision of gynecomastia. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of tumescent anesthesia in surgical excision of gynecomastia. Methods. A 4-year study with 100 patients of gynecomastia aged 14 to 47 years were enrolled with follow up for 3 months. All patients were given tumescence anesthesia in each breast comprising subcutaneous infiltration of 500 ml RL, 20 ml 0.5% bupivacaine, 30 ml 2% lignocaine, 1 mg adrenaline & 1 gm tranexamic acid. Breast tissue was excised in each breast by a single infraareolar incision & patients were assessed for intra-op pain and post-op pain by using numeric rating scale (NRS). Results. Bilateral presentation was there in 69 patients and 31 unilateral with 4 recurrent cases. Size of gland excised were 12-14 cms in 53 cases, 15-18 cms in 38 & 19-20 cms in 9 patients. Average surgical time required for each breast was 30 minutes. Intraoperative pain NRS-0 for 66, NRS-1 for 31 & NRS-5 for 03 patients. Postoperative pain for first eight hours was NRS-0 for 69 and NRS-1 for 31 patients. Conclusion. Tumescent anaesthesia for surgical excision of gynecomastia using a periareolar incision is a minimally invasive bloodless and painless technique in which ductal and stromal tissue can be removed resulting in a high level of patient satisfaction. In todays covid era it avoids the use of general anesthesia and electrocautery.

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.

Effect of Local Fibrinogen Administration on Postoperative Bleeding in Open Prostatectomy Surgery

Background

Open prostatectomy is still accompanied by some postoperative bleeding. Prescribing fibrinogen to promote clot formation in patients with bleeding is of critical importance. This research studied the effects of local injection of fibrinogen on level of postoperative bleeding in open prostatectomy.

Methods

Overall, 44 patients were randomly entered in a study on open prostatectomy. Patients in the intervention group received local injections of 500 mg fibrinogen (20 mL) dissolved in distilled water, and the control group patients only received 20 mL of normal saline, where the injections were given by the surgeon at the prostatectomy operation site. All patients were tested for hemoglobin, hematocrit, PT, PTT, INR, and fibrinogen level. Also, the amount of blood loss and requirement for blood products were recorded.

Results

The study groups showed no difference regarding baseline variables. One patient in the fibrinogen group (1.66%) and four patients in the control group (6.66%) received blood products (P < 0.05), and the blood drainage tube at 24 hours after operation was 36.50) 18.70 (mL in the fibrinogen group and 151.36) 120.58 (mL in the control group (P = 0.005). There were no differences in hemoglobin, hematocrit, PT, PTT, INR, and serum fibrinogen level between the groups at any time.

Conclusions

The current study demonstrated that using fibrinogen in patients with high bleeding risk may effectively reduce the amount of bleeding and its subsequent blood transfusion requirement, after open prostatectomy surgery.

[Prophylactic use of tranexamic acid in noncardiac surgery : Update 2017]

BACKGROUND

Minimising perioperative bleeding is a key goal of "patient blood management" programs. One component of respective strategies includes preventive inhibition of fibrinolysis using protease inhibitors, such as tranexamic acid (TXA). TXA inhibits plasminogen activation and plasmin-induced fibrin degradation.

OBJECTIVES

The present article provides an overview of the existing literature and TXA applications in the prophylaxis of perioperative bleeding.

METHODS

Literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE (U.S. National Library of Medicine®, Bethesda, MD, USA).

RESULTS

TXA reduces perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirements in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty for both intravenous and topical use. Moreover, evidence favours use of TXA in complex spine surgery and reconstructive surgery (e. g. craniosynostosis in children). Single RCTs showed benefits of TXA in abdominal hysterectomy, open prostatectomy, liver surgery and actively bleeding trauma patients. For prophylaxis of peripartum haemorrhage (PPH) following vaginal delivery or Caesarean section, TXA cannot be routinely recommended, although evidence points to benefits in actively bleeding patients. A recommendation exists for the treatment of (active) PPH. For prophylactic perioperative administration, different dosage regimens exist for adults. Most often an initial i. v. bolus of 1 g or 10-15 mg/kg body weight with/without repetition after 6 h or continuous infusions over 8 h is administered. Increased rates of thromboembolic events were not noted.

CONCLUSION

Protease inhibitors such as TXA reduce perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirements in selected surgical fields.