The effect of intravenous tranexamic acid use on blood loss after revision shoulder arthroplasty

Abstract

BackgroundRevision total- and reverse shoulder arthroplasties have become more common as the incidence of primary shoulder arthroplasties rise and the older population grows. The use of tranexamic acid (TXA) to decrease perioperative blood loss has been well established in literatures; however, its use in revision shoulder arthroplasty has yet to be explored. We retrospectively examined the effect of TXA use on perioperative blood loss during revision shoulder arthroplasties. MethodsThis was a retrospective review of patients ≥18 years of age, who underwent revision total- or reverse shoulder arthroplasties at the investigating institution between June 2013 and December 2020. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on perioperative intravenous (IV) TXA vs. No TXA exposure. Contraindications to IV TXA included a history of blood clots and coagulopathies. Demographics, medical comorbidities, pre- and post-op hemoglobin, drain output, need for transfusion during hospitalization, duration of surgery, length of hospitalization, emergency department visits within 90 days of surgery, readmission to hospital within 90 days of surgery, and development of postoperative hematoma were analyzed. ResultsA total of 192 procedures (90 IV TXA vs. 102 No TXA) were analyzed. The cohorts did not significantly differ in age, gender, body mass index, breakdown of type of revision, or medical comorbidities. Analysis of the cohorts demonstrated that the IV TXA group had a significantly higher preoperative hemoglobin (12.9 vs. 13.5, P = .012) and postoperative hemoglobin (9.6 vs. 10.5, P < .001), as well as a significantly lower exposure to drain placement (75% vs. 43%, P < .001) and lower drain output per day (145 ml vs. 97.5 ml, P < .001) as compared to the No TXA group following revision shoulder arthroplasty. The results favored the IV TXA group with regard to blood loss, transfusions, duration of surgery, length of stay, and hospital readmissions within 90 days; however, these did not reach statistical significance. ConclusionsTXA use in revision shoulder arthroplasty significantly decreased the drain output; however had no significant effect on blood loss or transfusion rates.