Katerina Pavenski, Sarah E Ward, Gregory M T Hare, John Freedman, Robisa Pulendrarajah, Razak A Pirani, Nicholas Sheppard, Colm Vance, Alexander White, Nick Lo, James P Waddell, Alex Ho, Emil H Schemitsch, Mark Kataoka, Earl R Bogoch, Kiran Saini, C David Mazer, James E Baker
BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) therapy is effective in reducing postoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in total joint arthroplasty (TJA), yet uncertainty persists regarding comparative efficacy and safety among specific patient subgroups. We assessed the impact of a universal TXA protocol on RBC transfusion, postoperative hemoglobin (Hb), and adverse outcomes to determine whether TXA is safe and effective in TJA, both overall and in clinically relevant subgroups. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed on patients undergoing TJA at our institution spanning 1 year before and after the implementation of a universal protocol to administer intravenous (IV) TXA...
January 2019: Transfusion