Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is commonly used in orthopedic surgery to reduce perioperative bleeding and the need for transfusion. The purpose of the study was to assess whether TXA could reduce the incidence of postoperative swelling and hematoma formation and pain and opioid use in the early postoperative period following the Latarjet procedure.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 100 patients undergoing open Latarjet surgery for anterior shoulder instability by a single surgeon. Patients were randomized to receive either 1 g TXA or a placebo intravenously preoperatively. Outcomes measured during the perioperative period were (1) intraoperative blood loss, (2) postoperative blood loss (via drain output), (3) postoperative swelling/hematoma formation, (4) visual analog scale (VAS) score, and (5) postoperative opioid use (in morphine milligram equivalents).
Results: There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss (60.9 vs. 68.9 mL, P = .18). However, there was significantly lower postoperative blood loss with TXA (29.6 vs. 64.9 mL, P < .01). There was a significantly lower rate of painful postoperative swelling (4% vs. 32%, P < .01). Additionally, we found a significantly lower VAS score for pain (1.7 vs. 3.0, P < .01) and significantly less postoperative opioid use (9.4 vs. 22 mg, P < .01) in the TXA group. Postoperative swelling was shown to correlate with increased pain and opioid use (P < .01).
Conclusion: Our study found that TXA significantly reduced postoperative blood loss, painful postoperative swelling, and hematoma formation and subsequently reduced postoperative pain and opioid use following the Latarjet procedure.
Keywords: Latarjet; anterior shoulder instability; complications; hematoma; randomized control trial; tranexamic acid.
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