Purposes: Open elbow arthrolysis (OEA) is a common method for treating post-traumatic elbow stiffness, which may lead to severe bleeding when resecting heterotopic ossification (HO) and fibrous scar tissue. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety among three different ways of using tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing total blood loss and drainage volume in OEA.
Patients and Methods: This was a pilot, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving a total of 60 patients of post-traumatic elbow stiffness. Patients in the IV group (n = 20) received TXA intravenously, those in the intra-articular group (n = 20) received TXA topically, and those in the combined group (n = 20) received TXA both intravenously and topically. The primary outcome measure was postoperative blood loss and drainage volume. The secondary outcome measures included elbow function, complications, and secondary surgery.
Results: The postoperative blood loss on the first and third days and the drainage volume on the first day was similar among the three groups (p > 0.05). The total postoperative drainage volume in the IV group was significantly higher than in the combined and intra-articular group, with no significant difference observed between the combined and intra-articular group (534.5 mL vs. 378.0 mL vs. 356.5 mL; p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in elbow flexion-extension and rotation range of motion (ROM) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) scores at the follow-up (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Intravenous, topical, or combined TXA administration showed no significant difference in reducing postoperative blood loss after OEA. However, both combined and topical TXA significantly reduced postoperative drainage volume compared to intravenous administration.
Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I.
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