Intra-articular Versus Intravenous Tranexamic Acid in Primary Total Knee Replacement

Introduction: The use of peri-articular (PA) tranexamic acid (TXA) and its efficacy in comparison with intra-articular (IA) tranexamic acid has not been well explored in literature. This retrospective cohort study aims to compare the effects of IA and PA TXA with analgesic components in reducing blood loss and improving immediate post-operative pain relief and functional outcomes in unilateral primary total knee replacement (TKA) patients. Methods: 63 patients who underwent a unilateral primary total knee replacement procedure were divided into 2 groups: 42 patients in the IA TXA delivery group, 21 patients in the PA TXA group. 1g of TXA was utilized for all patients. All patients had pericapsular infiltration consisting of 0.5ml of Adrenaline, 0.4ml of Morphine, 1g of Vancomycin, 1ml of Ketorolac and 15ml of Ropivacaine. Outcomes for blood loss, and surrogate markers for immediate functional recovery were measured. Results: 54.0% of the patients were female, 46.0% male. The mean drop in post-operative Hb levels in the PA and IA group was 2.0g/dL and 1.6 g/dL respectively, and statistically insignificant (p=0.10). The mean HCT drop in the PA and IA group was 6.1% and 5.3% respectively and statistically insignificant (p=0.58). The POD 1 and discharge day flexion angles, POD 1 and POD 2 VAS scores, gait distance on discharge, and length of hospitalization stay were largely similar in both groups. Conclusion: Our study shows that both IA and PA TXA with analgesic components are equally efficient in reducing blood loss and improving immediate postoperative pain relief and functional outcomes.

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Intraarticular vs Intravenous Tranexamic Acid in Reduction of Blood Loss in Primary Total Knee Replacement

Journal of Postgraduate Medicine Education and Research ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10028-1195 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 64-68

Author(s):

Arunkumar Vijay ◽

Jambu Nageswaran ◽

Senthil Loganathan ◽

Samuel Chittaranjan Bedford

Keyword(s):

Blood Loss ◽

Total Knee Replacement ◽

Tranexamic Acid ◽

Knee Replacement ◽

Primary Total Knee Replacement ◽

Group A ◽

Total Knee ◽

The Mean ◽

Group B ◽

Primary Total Knee

ABSTRACT Aim To study the efficacy of topical intraarticular vs intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing blood loss following primary total knee replacement (TKR). Materials and methods A phase 3, single center, double blind and randomized controlled study was conducted in the Department of Orthopedics, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A prospective study of 100 patients lasted from July 2013 to July 2015. Results Postoperative transfusion rates were zero in both the groups (intraarticular and intravenous). The mean 48-hour drain collected is 285.6 ml in group A (intraarticular), while it is 325.8 ml in group B (intravenous); the mean drop in hemoglobin is 1.7 gm/dl in group A (intraarticular) while it is 2.4 gm/dl in group B (intravenous). Conclusion This study shows that topical intraarticular administration of TXA has better efficacy than intravenous TXA in controlling postoperative blood loss following primary uncomplicated TKR with no significant complications. How to cite this article Vijay A, Nageswaran J, Loganathan S, Bedford SC. Intraarticular vs Intravenous Tranexamic Acid in Reduction of Blood Loss in Primary Total Knee Replacement. J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2016;50(2):64-68.

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