Oral Versus Intravenous Tranexamic Acid in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (TRANSCAB)

July 30, 2026 updated by: Benjamin JAVILLIER, Clinique Saint-Luc

Oral Versus Intravenous Tranexamic Acid for Blood Loss Prevention in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Randomized Double-Blind Non-Inferiority Trial

Tranexamic acid is commonly administered intravenously during cardiac surgery to reduce perioperative bleeding. Oral tranexamic acid may offer a simpler and less costly alternative, but its effectiveness in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has not been adequately established.

TRANSCAB is a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, non-inferiority clinical trial comparing oral and intravenous tranexamic acid in adults undergoing elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Participants will receive either oral tranexamic acid before surgery with an intravenous placebo at induction, or oral placebo before surgery with intravenous tranexamic acid at induction.

The primary objective is to determine whether oral tranexamic acid is non-inferior to intravenous tranexamic acid for reducing postoperative blood loss. Secondary objectives include comparing transfusion requirements, postoperative hemoglobin levels, reoperation for bleeding, thromboembolic complications, seizures, acute kidney injury, and other postoperative outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Perioperative bleeding remains an important complication of coronary artery bypass surgery and may lead to blood transfusion, reoperation, prolonged hospitalization, and increased postoperative morbidity. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic drug widely used in cardiac surgery to reduce bleeding and transfusion requirements. It is most commonly administered intravenously, although oral administration may provide adequate systemic exposure while simplifying drug preparation and administration.

TRANSCAB is a monocentric, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, non-inferiority trial conducted in adult patients undergoing elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

A total of 160 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two treatment groups:

  1. Oral tranexamic acid group: four 500 mg tranexamic acid tablets administered approximately 2 hours before surgical incision, together with an intravenous placebo administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.
  2. Intravenous tranexamic acid group: four matching oral placebo tablets administered approximately 2 hours before surgical incision, together with 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.

Participants, clinicians involved in perioperative management, outcome assessors, and investigators will remain blinded to treatment allocation. Study treatments will be prepared and dispensed according to the randomization list by the hospital pharmacy.

The primary objective is to assess whether oral tranexamic acid is non-inferior to intravenous tranexamic acid in reducing postoperative blood loss following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Secondary and safety outcomes will assess perioperative transfusion requirements, postoperative hemoglobin changes, clinically significant bleeding, reoperation for bleeding, thromboembolic events, seizures, acute kidney injury, mortality, duration of intensive care and hospital stay, and other postoperative complications specified in the protocol.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
160

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 years or older.
  2. Elective isolated coronary artery bypass grafting planned without cardiopulmonary bypass, including off-pump coronary artery bypass through sternotomy or minimally invasive/direct or totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery. Conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass is permitted if clinically required.
  3. Perioperative tranexamic acid planned as part of routine care, with the participant eligible for both oral and intravenous administration according to the applicable product information and local policy.
  4. Written informed consent obtained before randomization.
  5. Routine preoperative laboratory results available, including at least hemoglobin and serum creatinine measured within 30 days before surgery.
  6. Available for in-hospital follow-up and Day 30 assessment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Emergency surgery, non-isolated cardiac surgery, or planned on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.
  2. Inability to provide informed consent or comply with the required follow-up.
  3. Hypersensitivity to tranexamic acid or any excipient of the study products.

  4. Contraindication or clinically relevant precaution to tranexamic acid according to the applicable product information, including:

    • active arterial or venous thromboembolic disease or active intravascular clotting;
    • history of subarachnoid hemorrhage;
    • acquired defective color vision;
    • clinically relevant seizure disorder or previous tranexamic-acid-associated seizure;
    • disseminated intravascular coagulation without predominant hyperfibrinolysis;
    • active upper urinary tract hematuria with a risk of ureteric obstruction.
  5. Renal function incompatible with the fixed protocol dose, including estimated glomerular filtration rate below 30 mL/min/1.73 m² or dialysis.
  6. Contraindication to either administration route, including inability to swallow tablets, malabsorption precluding oral dosing, or inability to obtain intravenous access.
  7. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  8. Participation in another interventional clinical trial that could interfere with study outcomes or safety.
  9. Planned use of another antifibrinolytic agent outside the protocol, including aprotinin or epsilon-aminocaproic acid.
  10. Any new clinical condition identified after randomization but before dosing that, in the investigator's judgment, makes administration of the study treatment unsafe.
  11. Uncontrolled hemodynamic or respiratory instability before administration of the study intervention.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Oral Tranexamic Acid
Participants receive 2 g of oral tranexamic acid as four 500 mg tablets approximately 2 hours before surgical incision, together with an intravenous placebo administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.
Drug: Oral tranexamic acid
Tranexamic acid, 2 g orally, administered as four 500 mg tablets approximately 2 hours before surgical incision.
Drug: Intravenous placebo
Intravenous placebo consisting of 50 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride, administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.
Active Comparator: Intravenous Tranexamic Acid
Participants receive four matching oral placebo tablets approximately 2 hours before surgical incision, together with 1 g of intravenous tranexamic acid administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.
Drug: Exacyl®
Tranexamic acid, 1 g intravenously, diluted in 0.9% sodium chloride to a total volume of 50 mL and administered at induction or incision according to the study protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cumulative Chest Tube Blood Loss Within 24 Hours After Surgery (mL)
Time Frame: From completion of surgery to 24 hours postoperatively
Total cumulative volume of blood collected from mediastinal and pleural chest drains during the first 24 hours after completion of surgery, expressed in milliliters.
From completion of surgery to 24 hours postoperatively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants Receiving Red Blood Cell Transfusion
Time Frame: From surgery until hospital discharge, up to 30 days
Number and proportion of participants receiving at least one unit of packed red blood cells during surgery or the postoperative hospital stay, and the total number of units transfused per participant.
From surgery until hospital discharge, up to 30 days
Hemoglobin Concentration at 24 Hours After Surgery (g/dL)
Time Frame: At 24 hours after surgery
Hemoglobin concentration measured from routine postoperative blood samples, expressed in grams per deciliter.
At 24 hours after surgery
Number of Participants Requiring Reoperation for Bleeding
Time Frame: During the index hospitalization, up to 30 days
Number and proportion of participants requiring surgical re-exploration because of postoperative bleeding or cardiac tamponade.
During the index hospitalization, up to 30 days
Number of Participants With Thromboembolic Events
Time Frame: From study intervention until 30 days after surgery
Occurrence of clinically diagnosed arterial or venous thromboembolic events, including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism.
From study intervention until 30 days after surgery
Number of Participants With Postoperative Seizures
Time Frame: During the index hospitalization, up to 30 days
Occurrence of clinically diagnosed postoperative seizures.
During the index hospitalization, up to 30 days
Number of Participants With Acute Kidney Injury According to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Criteria
Time Frame: Within 7 days after surgery or until hospital discharge, whichever occurs first
Number of participants with postoperative acute kidney injury classified according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria (Stages 1, 2, or 3).
Within 7 days after surgery or until hospital discharge, whichever occurs first
Number of Participants With All-Cause Mortality Within 30 Days After Surgery
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
Death from any cause.
Within 30 days after surgery
Length of Intensive Care Unit Stay (days)
Time Frame: From intensive care unit admission until discharge from the intensive care unit, up to 30 days
Duration of the postoperative intensive care unit stay, expressed in hours or days.
From intensive care unit admission until discharge from the intensive care unit, up to 30 days
Length of Hospital Stay (days)
Time Frame: From the date of surgery until hospital discharge, up to 30 days
Duration of the postoperative hospital stay, expressed in days.
From the date of surgery until hospital discharge, up to 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Clinique Saint-Luc

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Benjamin Javillier, MD, Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 31, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 30, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • TRANSCAB
  • 2026-526581-24-01 (Ctis)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the published results may be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Requests will be reviewed by the Sponsor and Coordinating Investigator and will require an approved research proposal and a signed data use or data transfer agreement. Data sharing will be subject to applicable ethical, legal, regulatory, and data-protection requirements.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 12 months after publication of the primary results and available for 5 years.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Access may be granted to qualified researchers whose proposed use of the data has been approved by the Sponsor. Requests must include a scientifically sound research proposal and will require a signed data use or data transfer agreement. Data will be shared only in accordance with applicable data-protection, ethical, and regulatory requirements.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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