Original Article

Tranexamic acid and reduction of blood transfusion in lower limb trauma surgery: a randomized controlled study

¹ Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Adesh Medical College & Hospital, Kurukshetra, Haryana 136135, India
² Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab 141001, India
³ Professor & Head, Department of Pharmacology, Adesh Medical College & Hospital, Kurukshetra, Haryana 136135, India
⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab 147001, India

^* Corresponding author: jaspreetdr@yahoo.co.in

Received: 10 August 2021
Accepted: 9 October 2021

Abstract

Introduction: Post-operative blood loss in lower limb trauma fractures increases morbidity. Very few studies have evaluated the efficacy of Tranexamic Acid (TXA) in reducing blood loss and the consequent requirement of blood transfusion in the Indian population. Methods: This was a randomized controlled study of 100 patients with lower limb trauma. Fifty patients were given 1 g of TXA before surgery, and 50 patients were not given TXA. The requirement of blood transfusion, fall in Hb, the number of days admitted in the hospital after surgery were recorded, and evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was monitored. Results: Baseline demographics between the groups were comparable. The required blood transfusion and fall in Hb in patients receiving intra-operative TXA were significantly lower than those not given TXA (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups (p = 0.6). There was no significant difference in the incidence of DVT in both groups. Discussion: TXA helps reduce the morbidity of trauma patients by reducing the requirement for blood transfusion. Its use is safe in lower limb trauma surgery and lowers the cost of therapy to the patient.