ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra?articular injections of tranexamic acid (TXA) on perioperative blood loss and transfusion in primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Primary TKA was per?formed on a total of 380 patients (380 knees) affected to various degrees by knee osteoarthritis. All the patients are divided into three groups according to different joint injection for 5 min at the end of surgery in which:120 patients received 1.5 g TXA injec?tion,136 patients received 0.5 g TXA injection, 124 patients no pharmacological intervention (control group). Blood loss, hidden blood loss, blood transfusion, drainage volume and limb circumference change after TKA were assessed. Results All the surger?ies were well performed. No complication including infection, necrosis, and fat liquefaction has been observed. The results indicat?ed no significant difference with pairwise comparisons in intra?operative time, intra?operative blood loss, hospitalization time, anes?thesia, and drainage volume and limb circumference change. The mean postoperative hidden blood loss (1.5 g TXA group 693.29± 377.91 ml, 0.5 g TXA group 835.41±481.97 ml, the control group 1 032.75±322.19 ml) and transfusion (1.5 g TXA group 7.5%, 0.5 g TXA group 13.2%, the control group 20.2%) requests were significantly different with pairwise comparisons among the three groups. Compared with the control group, both 1.5 g TXA group and 0.5 g TXA group showed better effects (P<0.05). Compared with the 0.5 g TXA group, 1.5 g TXA group showed better effects (P<0.05). Conclusion It can be concluded that intra?articular injection of TXA in patients undergoing unilateral TKA could significantly reduce postoperative hidden blood loss and blood trans?fusion, and did not increase the risk of phlebothrombosis. This efficacy demonstrated a concentration dependent effect. Compared with 0.5 g TXA, 1.5 g TXA performed a better efficacy.