• M C Hynes, P Calder, P Rosenfeld, and G Scott.
• Bone and Joint Research Unit, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London, UK. mchynes@hotmail.com
• Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2005 Mar 1;87(2):99-101.

IntroductionTo test the hypothesis that the fall in haemoglobin following total hip arthroplasty is reduced by tranexamic acid administration.Patients And MethodsA cohort of 64 patients were studied, 32 received tranexamic acid 20 mg/kg on induction. Surgery was performed by the senior author in a standardised fashion. Haemoglobin levels were measured 2 weeks pre- and 3 days postoperatively. Any complications were noted. The study group was matched using the bone and joint research database for age, sex, procedure, disease and pre-operative haemoglobin level.ResultsIn the group receiving no tranexamic acid, the mean fall in haemoglobin was 3.8 g/dl (CI of mean 3.4-4.3) and in the group treated with tranexamic acid 2.8 g/dl (CI of mean 2.5-3.2) P < 0.05. Complications included one non-fatal pulmonary embolus in the tranexamic acid group.ConclusionsThe administration of 20 mg/kg of tranexamic acid on induction of surgery is an effective method of reducing the haemoglobin fall following hip arthroplasty.

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