Background: Consensus is lacking regarding the dose and timing of tranexamic acid (TXA). The aim of this study was to determine whether multiple-dose intravenous TXA further reduced blood loss and attenuated inflammation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Materials and methods: We prospectively studied four regimens on TXA: no TXA (A), before incision, 3, 6, and 12 h later (B), before incision, 3, 6, 12, and 18 h later (C) and before incision, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h later (D). The primary outcome was hidden blood loss (HBL). Other outcome measurements such as total blood loss (TBL), intraoperative blood loss (IBL), fibrinolysis parameters [fibrin(-ogen) degradation products, D-dimer], inflammatory factors (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6), visual analog scale (VAS) score, transfusion rate, length of stay (LOS) and complications were also compared.
Results: The mean HBL and TBL were significantly lower in Group D than in Groups C, B and A. The level of inflammatory factors and fibrinolysis parameters were significantly lower in Group D than in Groups C, B and A at 24 and 72 h postoperatively. The VAS score on postoperative days 1 and 3 (POD1 and POD3) was significantly lower in Group D than in Groups C, B and A. There was no significant difference in LOS among groups. No patient underwent blood transfusion. No episodes of deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism occurred in all the groups.
Conclusion: The repeated doses of TXA up to 24 h can further diminish HBL, provide additional fibrinolysis and inflammation control and ameliorate postoperative pain following TKA.
Level of evidence: I.
Keywords: Anti-fibrinolysis; Anti-inflammation; Multiple-dose treatment; Total knee arthroplasty; Tranexamic acid.