[Pharmacological reduction of bleeding during hip endoprosthetic replacement]

Endoprosthetic replacement of the large joints is accompanied by major bleeding. During the last few years several authors reported the perioperative administration of tranexamic acid and its beneficial effect on reducing the blood loss.

In the present study, the author studied the effect of intravenously administered tranexamic acid in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty in order to examine whether this treatment could reduce postoperative blood loss, the amount of transfused packed red cells, and the cost of the blood saving and/or transfusion.

The author compared retrospectively the data of 104 patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty between April, 2010 and December, 2011. 54 patients were administered tranexamic acid (Group 1) and 50 patients were treated without tranexamic acid (Group 2). The amount of postoperative bleeding, haemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, and the number of units of the transfused packed red cells were recorded. Cost effectiveness of treatment with tranexamic acid was calculated.

Postoperative blood loss in Group 1 was 732 ml (210-1280 ml), and in Group 2 1092 ml (420-2640 ml). Ten of the 54 patients in Group 1 had to be transfused, and the all-over need was 20 units of packed red cells. 49 of the 50 patients in Group 2 received 98 units of allogenic blood. Thromboembolic complication was not observed in connection with the use of tranexamic acid. The reduction of blood loss with the application of tranexamic acid and the transfused packed red cells cost in average 5,180 HUF per patient in Group 1 and 15,850 HUF in Group 2.

Intravenous administration of tranexamic acid reduces effectively the transfusion rate and the blood loss in the postoperative period in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty. More than 1.5 million HUF and 240 units of packed red cells could be yearly saved with the introduction of this simple, safe and cheap method of drug administered blood conservation.