Methods

A prospective double blind randomised controlled trial was conducted on 48 patients undergoing unilateral primary cemented total knee replacement. The mean age of the patients was 68 years. Recruitment was based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomised to receive either 10 mg/kg of tranexamic acid or a similar volume of normal saline at the time of cementing the prosthesis before deflation of the tourniquet. Both the patient and the surgeon were blinded to the type of injection. The post-operative blood loss was calculated in each case.