Effects of Tranexamic Acid on Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirement Following Hip Fracture
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
1969-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Tranexamic acid (TA) inhibits fibrinolysis by binding to lysine binding-sites of plasminogen
to fibrin. Fibrinolysis is stimulated by surgical trauma, and the administration of TA has
been shown effective in decreasing blood loss both intra-operatively and in the immediate
post-operative period in elective hip and knee arthroplasty patients. Both the timing and
dosing of TA has been investigated in these patients. Subsequent blood transfusion rate has
also been shown to decrease as result of TA administration. Despite the support for TA
utilization that exists in the arthroplasty literature, the data is scarce regarding its
administration during surgical treatment of hip fractures. This is patient population who is
at high risk for transfusion due to symptomatic post-operative anemia. This study aims to
investigate whether TA's advantageous effects in the arthroplasty patient population can be
extrapolated to the more unstable, heterogeneous hip fracture patient population. If the
study is able to show a difference in blood loss and transfusion requirement, the long term
implications of this with regards to cost and mortality can be significant.