Intra-articular 1 g tranexamic acid administration during total knee arthroplasty is safe and effective for the reduction of blood loss and blood transfusion.

Background: The effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) on the incidence of venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as assessed by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) is unclear. Thus, we investigated the efficacy and safety profiles of TXA administration during TKA. We hypothesised that intra-articular 1 g TXA administration would have a sufficient effect on the reduction of blood loss and transfusion rates without increasing VTE risk.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 86 patients who underwent primary TKA from January 2014 to September 2017. The study comprised control (n = 45) and TXA (n = 41) groups. All patients underwent navigation-assisted TKA via the medial parapatellar approach. In those who received TXA, 1 g of intra-articular TXA was injected via a drain immediately following wound closure. The drain was clamped for 2 h and then reopened. Contrast-enhanced CT was performed 5-6 days after surgery to detect deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Blood loss was calculated using the haemoglobin balance method.

Results: The mean postoperative volume of blood loss was 900 ± 296 mL vs 1216 ± 445 mL in the TXA vs control group (p < 0.01). Allogeneic blood transfusion was required for 0 (0%) vs 6 (13.3%) patients in the TXA vs control group (p = 0.013). There were no significant inter-group differences regarding DVT and PE incidence (p > 0.05). No case of symptomatic PE occurred.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that intra-articular 1 g TXA administration during TKA is safe and effective for reducing blood loss and blood transfusion without increasing VTE risk.