Effectiveness of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss in cervical laminoplasty: A retrospective observational study

Abstract

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been proved effective in reducing perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing orthopedic operations. However, given the heterogeneity in the diagnoses and spinal operations, there are only limited studies comparing patients with uniform diagnoses and procedures performed. Methods: A comparative observational control study was performed on 62 patients with cervical myelopathy. They were divided into control (32) and TXA (30) groups according to whether they had received TXA before and during surgery. Cervical laminoplasty from C3 to C6/7 was performed for all patients using a consistent procedure. Preoperative and postoperative hematological data and perioperative blood loss were compared. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index, and operating time. The TXA group had significantly less intraoperative (310 ± 215 ml vs. 144 ± 90 ml, p < 0.05) and postoperative blood loss than the control group (150 ± 50 ml vs. 249 ± 94 ml, p < 0.01). The drop of hemoglobin (Hb) level in the TXA group was also significantly lower (0.5 ± 0.42 g/dl vs. 2.1 ± 1.03 g/dl, p < 0.01). No thromboembolic complications found. Conclusion: TXA significantly reduced perioperative blood loss and reduced drop of postoperative Hb level in cervical laminoplasty.