Local Versus Systemic Tranexamic Acid in Total Hip Arthroplasty in Young Adults

Background Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is the most successful orthopedic elective surgical procedure for end-stage hip arthritis. THA is linked with significant blood loss, ranging from 1,188 to 1,651 mL, and a transfusion rate of 16-37%, which frequently results in postoperative blood transfusions. Postoperative blood transfusions can be avoided by using autologous blood transfusion, intraoperative blood saving, local anesthetic, hypotensive anesthesia, and antifibrinolytic medications such as tranexamic acid (TXA) administration. Methodology A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, controlled study was conducted with three prospective groups to investigate the efficacy of topical and systemic routes of a single intraoperative dose (1.5 g) of TXA. Patients were recruited from our center between October 2021 to March 2022 who were undergoing primary total hip replacement. Estimated blood loss was calculated and compared in groups, and a p-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results A total of 60 patients were recruited in our study. Estimated blood loss was similar in both treatment groups, 816.8 ± 219.9 mL in the systemic TXA group and 775.5 ± 107.2 mL in the topical TXA group. The placebo group had 1,066.3 ± 150.4 mL estimated blood loss, which was significantly higher compared to the treatment groups. Conclusions Administration of TXA (1.5 g) significantly lowers blood loss without increasing problems, which can eliminate concerns about intravenous TXA use. TXA reduces blood loss by 270 mL on average.