A Case Report of Nebulized Tranexamic Acid for Post-tonsillectomy Hemorrhage in an Adult

Abstract

Introduction: Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening, postoperative complication that is commonly encountered in the emergency department (ED). Case Report: Herein, we describe the case of a 22-year-old male who presented to the ED with an active post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage. He rapidly became hypotensive and experienced an episode of syncope. Immediate interventions included intravenous fluids, emergency release blood and nebulized tranexamic acid (TXA). After completion of the nebulized TXA, the patient’s bleeding was controlled. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case in the emergency medicine literature that describes the use of nebulized TXA in an adult to achieve hemostasis in post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.