Abstract
Abstract Introduction Upper Gastrointestinal bleeding is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. It has been suggested that tranexamic acid (TXA) may be useful in arresting bleeding. Aim: To synthesise available evidence of the effect of TXA on upper GI bleeding. Method A systematic review was conducted. PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane central register of controlled trials were searched for relevant studies. A random effects meta-analysis was performed to determine the risk ratio of primary and secondary outcomes. Results 8 studies were included in the review. Total number of patients included was 12994 including 4550 females (35%). The effect of TXA on mortality: risk ratio was 0.95 which favoured TXA however the 95% CI ranged from 0.80 to 1.13 and was not statistically significant. The re-bleeding rate risk ratio was 0.64, which favoured the TXA group and with a 95% CI ranging from 0.47 to 0.86 this was statistically significant. The risk of adverse thromboembolic events: risk ratio was 0.93 favoured the TXA group however the 95% CI extended from 0.62 to 1.39 and so was not statistically significant. Conclusions We cannot recommend the routine use of TXA in the setting of acute upper GI bleeding outside its use in randomised controlled clinical trials.
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