Reviewing the Impact of Topical and Intravenous Tranexamic Acid Use in Breast Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Background Topical and intravenous uses of tranexamic acid (TXA) have been shown to reduce bleeding and ecchymosis in various surgical fields. However, there is a lack of data evaluating the efficacy of TXA in breast surgery. This systematic review evaluates the impact of TXA on hematoma and seroma incidence in breast plastic surgery. Methods A systematic review of the literature was performed for all studies that evaluated the use of TXA in breast surgery including reduction mammoplasty, gynecomastia surgery, masculinizing chest surgery, or mastectomy. Outcomes of interest included rate of hematoma, seroma, and drain output. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 3297 breasts, of which 1656 were treated with any TXA, 745 with topical TXA, and 1641 were controls. There was a statistically significant decrease in hematoma formation seen in patients who received any form of TXA compared with control (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; P < 0.001), and a similar tendency toward decreased hematoma with topically treated TXA (OR, 0.42; P = 0.06). There was no significant difference in seroma formation with any TXA (OR, 0.84; P = 0.33) or topical TXA (OR, 0.91; P = 0.70). When stratified by surgery, there was a 75% decrease in the odds of hematoma formation with any TXA compared with the control for oncologic mastectomy (OR, 0.25; P = 0.003) and a 56% decrease in nononcologic breast surgery (OR, 0.44; P = 0.003). Conclusions This review suggests that TXA may significantly reduce hematoma formation in breast surgery and may also decrease seroma and drain output. Future high-quality prospective studies are required to evaluate the utility of topical and intravenous TXA in decreasing hematoma, seroma, and drain output in breast surgery patients.