The effect of Tranexamic Acid on Blood Loss and Hospital-Stay after Knee Replacement Surgery

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is widely used as an effective treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis and other knee diseases to relieve pain and improve quality of life. While the benefits of TKA are reduced pain and an improved function there are also risks, such as hemorrhage, thromboembolic events, infection and the need for additional surgical procedures. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is effective in reduction of hemorrhage after such major surgical procedure. Abundant literature confirms that intravenous (IV) and intra-articular (IA) administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces blood loss in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). 

Methods and Material:

The study is a retrospective cross-sectional study of 152 male and female patients aged 45 to 85 years who underwent Total knee replacement. They were divided into two groups.72 patients received tranexamic acid during the operation and 80 patients did not.Hemoglobin, transfused packed cell, hospital time, Visual analogue pain scale, Knee range of motion and cardiovascular accident were determined and compared between the two groups.

Comparing the result of hemoglobin drop, post op hemoglobin, transfused packed cell and hospital stay time showed significant difference between experimental and control group when pre op hemoglobin, range of motion, VAS score for pain measurement and cardiovascular effects were not significantly different.

We found that the administration of tranexamic acid can reduce the complications of knee replacement surgery due to bleeding, as well as decreasing the need for blood transfusion. In addition, the administration of tranexamic acid can reduce the length of hospital stay after knee replacement surgery; that in turn significantly reduces the cost of hospitalization.