Hemostatic effect of tranexamic acid (transamin) during coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract

The hemostatic effect of tranexamic acid (TA) was evaluated in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The subjects were 33 serial patients who underwent elective CABG performed by the same team between January 1997 and April 2000. They were divided into a group that received TA (n=15) and a non-TA control group (n=18). The TA group received 50mg/kg of TA intravenously before starting cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and 25 mg/kg immediately after CPB. Blood loss from the end of CPB to completion of surgery (post-CPB), as well as during the first 6h (BL6), 6–12 h (BL6–12), 12–18h (BL12–18), and 18–24h after surgery (BL18–24), was compared between the two groups. The time of chest tube removal, the volume of blood transfused, and graft patency were also compared. The blood loss at BL6, BL6–12, BL12–18, and BL18–24, as well as the blood transfussion volume, were all significantly (P<0.05) lower in the TA group than in the control group. There was no significant difference in graft patency between the two groups. In CABG patients, TA reduced blood loss without affecting graft patency, suggesting that it is useful in this setting.