The comparison of the effectiveness of single dose tranexamic acid application on blood loss control before and after tourniquet on patients undergone total knee arthroplasty (TDA)

Total knee arthroplasty is a good choice for effective treatment of end stage knee diseases. However, there is a considerable blood loss in intraoperative and postoperative periods. The aim of our study is to compare effectiveness of the use of single dose TEA on blood loss and transfusion need at before tourniquet inflation and after tourniquet deflation. Our study included 30 patients at 60 ? 79 years old who underwent total knee arthroplasty at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology between 1 January and 1 August 2013. Patients were divided to three groups; control group which TEA wasn't administrated, before tourniquet group which TEA was administrated before inflation of tourniquet and after tourniquet group which TEA was administrated after deflation of tourniquet. Blood loss at 30th. minute and after 24 hours in the hemowac drain, change of Hb, aPTT, PT and INR levels, need of transfusion were evaluated. Blood loss, decrease on Hb levels and the need of transfusion at TEA administrated groups were found significantly less than control group. When compared two groups TEA administrated, blood loss was found significantly less in after tourniquet group than in before tourniquet group. Comparison of decrease of Hb levels was found similiar in before and after toruniquet groups. It was found that there wasn't a significant change at aPTT, PT and INR levels in TEA administrated groups.