Intraarticular TXA Administration with Appropriate Timing of Clamping and Appropriate Dose is More Effective Than IV Administration.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Our aim was to compare the effects of intraarticular and intravenous (IV) tranexemic acid (TXA) application on bleeding and complication rates in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2017 and 2021, 406 patients who underwent TKA with 2 g of IV TXA and retrograde 1.5 g of TXA applied through the drain were included in the study. Of the patients, 206 were in the IV TXA group. Preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels, drain output, BMI, ASA score, blood loss, and the number of transfused patients were recorded. Complications such as symptomatic venous thromboembolism were also recorded. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, or BMI (p = 0.68, 0.54, 0.28, 0.45). Total drain output and blood loss were significantly higher in the IV TXA group than in the intraarticular TXA group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001). Eighteen patients in the IV TXA group and 1 patient in the intraarticular TXA group received a blood transfusion (p < 0.0001). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of preoperative hemoglobin or platelet count (p = 0.24). However, postoperative hemoglobin level was higher in the patients who received intraarticular TXA (p=0.0005). More thromboembolism events were seen in the IV TXA group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Intraarticular TXA application reduces blood loss more than IV application, reduces the blood transfusion rate, and causes fewer complications. KEY WORDS: tranexemic acid, total knee arthroplasty, intraarticular injection, blood loss, blood transfusion.

Relationship between graft failure following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and hamstring autograft diameter.

With the increase in the number of individuals participating in sports, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are also increasing gradually and the number of patients requiring surgical treatment is increasing in parallel. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the need for revision surgery and graft diameter following primary ACL reconstruction (ACLR) using hamstring autografts. The secondary aim of the study was to clarify relationships between anthropometric characteristics and graft diameter. Patients who underwent ACLR with hamstring autografts were included in this retrospective study. The age, body mass index, height, and weight of all patients were recorded preoperatively and the diameters of the grafts were recorded during surgery. The relationship between revision rate and graft diameter and the relationships between anthropometric measurements and graft diameter were investigated for these patients at least one year after surgery. This study included 58 people with graft diameters of ≤7 mm and 261 people with graft diameters of >7 mm. A statistically significant difference was found between the graft diameters of the group that needed revision surgery and the group that did not (p<0.001). A positive relationship was also found between the patient's height and graft diameter (r=0.168). In this study, it was found that the risk of ACL revision surgery increased by 5.5 times among patients with graft diameters of ≤7 mm. The positive relationship between the patient's height and graft diameter can make a significant difference in terms of the need for revision surgery.