Background. 91% of blood loss in Total Hip Replacement (THR) occurs in the period after skin closure and the first 24 post-operative hours. TRAC-24 was established to identify if an additional 24-hour post-operative oral regime of Tranexamic acid (TXA) is superior to a once-only intravenous dose at surgery. Methods. This was a prospective, phase IV, single centered, open label, parallel group controlled trial on patients undergoing primary elective THR. A history of thromboembolic or cardiovascular disease were not exclusion criteria. The primary outcome was indirect calculated blood loss at 48 hours (IBL). 534 patients were randomized on a 2:2:1 ratio over three different groups. Group 1 received an intravenous dose of TXA at the time of surgery and an additional 24-hour post-operative oral regime, Group 2 only received the intra-operative dose and Group 3 did not receive any TXA. Results. 233, 235 and 66 patients were recruited to groups 1,2 and 3. All groups had comparable baseline characteristics. 3.2% of all patients had previous thromboembolism and 5.4% had previous cardiac stenting. Group 3 mean (SD) IBL was 1371 (630) ml whereas group 1 and 2 combined had a mean (SD) IBL of 846 (471), p<0.001. There was no overall difference in IBL between group 1 and group 2, but subgroup analysis observed 12% less blood loss in group 1 than group 2 in the 36 patients weighing >100kg. No differences in mortality or thromboembolic events were observed in any group. Conclusion. The use of a single, intravenous, peroperative, 1-gram dose of Tranexamic acid decreased the total blood loss associated with THA by 38%. The addition of another 24-hours oral tranexamic acid did not provide additional benefit but further study on the effect of patient weight is required. Tranexamic acid is safe in patients with history of thromboembolic and cardiovascular disease

Aims

A typical pattern of blood loss associated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) is 200 ml intraoperatively and 1.3 l in the first 48 postoperative hours. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is most commonly given as a single preoperative dose only and is often withheld from patients with a history of thromboembolic disease as they are perceived to be “high-risk” with respect to postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). The TRanexamic ACid for 24 hours trial (TRAC-24) aimed to identify if an additional 24-hour postoperative TXA regime could further reduce blood loss beyond a once-only dose at the time of surgery, without excluding these high-risk patients.

Aims

The proportion of arthroplasties performed in the ambulatory setting has increased considerably. However, there are concerns whether same-day discharge may increase the risk of complications. The aim of this study was to compare 90-day outcomes between inpatient arthroplasties and outpatient arthroplasties performed at an ambulatory surgery centre (ASC), and determine whether there is a learning curve associated with performing athroplasties in an ASC.

Aims

To examine incidence of complications associated with outpatient total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to see if medical comorbidities are associated with complications or extended length of stay.