Abstract
Aims: To compare rates of blood transfusion post knee arthroplasties for patients treated with and without tranexamic acid (TA) and assess for any haemoglobin change perioperatively between the groups.
Methods: This retrospective observational study included 207 patients undergoing primary unilateral knee replacement surgery who were divided by administration of TA intraoperatively (n=120) or without (n=87). The TA group was further subdivided into patients undergoing a standardised autogenic retransfusion procedure (n= 86) and those without (n=44). Case notes and laboratory results were used to study pre and post operative haemoglobin, administration of TA and blood products. The exclusion criteria consisted of patients in ASA classes III & IV, revision surgery, and patients undergoing bilateral or unicompartmental knee replacements. Analysis of haemoglobin change was undertaken using the student t-test. Significance was concluded when p < 0.05.
Results: The average haemoglobin drop in the TA group (without auto-transfusion) was 1.96g/dL versus 1.8g/dL in the no drug group which was not significant (p= 0.459). The average drop in the TA group (with auto-transfusion) was 1.78g/dL, also not significant (p=0.922). 3 of the 44 patients (7%) from the TA group (without auto-transfusion) required blood transfusions compared against 7 of the 87 non tranexamic acid group (8%) which was not significant.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference between all three groups. This study raises questions over the efficacy of TA treatment as a means to reduce perioperative blood loss in total knee replacements. Further, TA does not reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements even when autogenic retransfusion was used.
Correspondence should be addressed to: BASK c/o BOA, at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE, England.
