A. Turgay Çavuşoğlu, Tacettin Ayanoğlu, Erdinç Esen, Hakan Atalar, Sacit Turanlı

Gazi Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye

Keywords: Blood loss; blood transfusion; total knee arthroplasty; tranexamic acid.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to compare the efficiency and safety of intraarticular and intravenous tranexamic acid administration in patients who were performed primary total knee arthroplasty.
Patients and methods: This single center, randomized, controlled trial included 60 patients (8 males, 52 females; mean age 67.8 years; range 53 to 87 years) who were performed primary total knee arthroplasty by three surgeons due to a diagnosis of primary osteoarthritis between January 2015 and June 2015. Patients were separated into three groups. Patients in group 1 and group 2 were administered 2 g intravenous tranexamic acid and 2 g intraarticular tranexamic acid, respectively. Patients in group 3 were not administered tranexamic acid. Pre- and postoperative hemoglobin difference, volume of blood collected in drains, and transfusion rate were analyzed.
Results: Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference between group 1 and group 2 in terms of total blood loss from the drain, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin difference, and the need for blood transfusion.
Conclusion: Both intraarticular and intravenous administrations reduce blood loss and need for transfusion and there is no significant difference between the two techniques in terms of safety.