Intraarticular versus Intravenous Tranexamic Acid in Reduction of Blood loss in Primary Total Knee Replacement

Presenting Author - S. Ganesh
The aim is to study the efficacy of topical intraarticular versus intravenous Tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss following primary total knee replacement. The study is a double blind and randomized controlled study which was conducted in the department of Orthopaedics, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. This prospective study was conducted between January 2015 to January 2017. One group received 2g of Tranexamic acid through the drain after skin closure while the other group received 10 mg/Kg Tranexamic acid in 100ml of normal Saline intravenously (One dose before tourniquet release and the second dose 3 hours after the surgery). The post op assessments were blood transfusion rates, drop in hemoglobin levels and wound healing. Conclusion : This study shows that topical intraarticular administration of Tranexamic acid has better efficacy than intravenous Tranexamic acid in controlling post-op blood loss following primary uncomplicated Total knee replacement with no significant complications.