Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas médicas e biológicas
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Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. · Jan 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study with tranexamic acid of bleeding and fibrinolytic activity after primary coronary artery bypass grafting.
Cardiopulmonary bypass is frequently associated with excessive blood loss. Platelet dysfunction is the main cause of non-surgical bleeding after open-heart surgery. We randomized 65 patients in a double-blind fashion to receive tranexamic acid or placebo in order to determine whether antifibrinolytic therapy reduces chest tube drainage. ⋯ There was a significant increase in plasma D-dimer levels after coronary artery bypass grafting only in patients of the placebo group, whereas no significant changes were observed in the group treated with tranexamic acid. The D-dimer levels were 1057 (1025-1100) microg/L in the placebo group and 520 (435-837) microg/L in the tranexamic acid group (P = 0.01). We conclude that tranexamic acid effectively reduces postoperative bleeding and fibrinolysis in patients undergoing first-time coronary artery bypass grafting compared to placebo.