Effect of oral tranexamic acid on postoperative bleeding in spinal surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background and objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of oral administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) on reducing intraoperative bleeding during spinal surgeries. Method: The study was a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants were individuals over 20 years old who underwent spinal surgery. Patients received 1.5 g of TXA orally, 2 h before surgery. Intraoperative bleeding volume, blood volume in the drain after surgery, length of hospital stays after surgery, incidence of nausea or vomiting, decrease in hemoglobin (Hb) level, and postoperative coagulation test results were evaluated in each group. Results: In this study, patients were assigned to each study group based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age of patients was 69.6±6.47 years, and 65% were male. There was no significant difference in age, sex, pre and postoperative Hb levels, prothrombin time (PT), or international normalized ratio (INR) between the study groups. Intraoperative bleeding volume and blood volume in the drain after surgery were significantly lower in the TXA group. Additionally, the length of hospital stay after surgery was significantly shorter in the TXA group. The incidence of nausea or vomiting was significantly higher in the TXA group. Furthermore, postoperative partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was significantly higher in the TXA group compared to the placebo group. Conclusion: Oral administration of TXA before spinal surgery leads to a significant reduction in intraoperative and postoperative bleeding without significant adverse effects and also reduces the length of hospital stay.