Abstract

Background: Blood loss occurs frequently and remains a challenge in spinal surgery. As significant intra and postoperative hemorrhage negatively affects patient outcomes by increasing coagulopathy, postoperative hematoma, and anemia. The need for allogenic blood transfusions can lead to potential transfusion reactions and infections, in addition to increasing long-term mortality rates. Although there are many randomized control trials and meta-analysis investigating the role of tranexamic acid (TXA), we could not find any study that investigated the role of TXA in patients with medical comorbidities. Therefore, tackling the role of TXA in patients with single or multiple comorbidities is of valuable outcome to our locality as most of the patients have indeed associated comorbidities.

Objectives: to investigate the role of tranexamic acid in decreasing perioperative blood loss in patients with multiple comorbidities as compared to otherwise healthy individuals.

Patients and methods: A single center randomized control trial. We included patients that were about to undergo simple decompressive surgeries for lumbar canal stenosis and fixation with decompression for spondylolisthesis. Patients were randomly categorized into cases (who received TXA) and controls who received NS. Patients then were subcategorized according to comorbidities and types of surgeries. Intraoperative blood loss was calculated using the suction drain and the gauze while the post operative bleeding was calculated using the drain output.

Results: There was 441.84 ml (49.6 %) decrease in intraoperative bleeding for patients who received TXA as compared to controls regardless the type of surgery and regardless the presence or absence of comorbidities. Hypertensive patients had 52.7 % reduction in intraoperative bleeding when received TXA, Diabetic patients showed 44.4 % reduction in bleeding, Obese patients showed 51.1% reduction and patients with multiple comorbidities showed 51% reduction in intraoperative bleeding while healthy individuals showed 38.9% reduction in intraoperative bleeding.

Conclusion: TXA was even more effective in decreasing intraoperative bleeding in patients with multiple comorbidities as compared to healthy individuals.