Effects of Tranexamic Acid on Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirement Following Hip Fracture

Tranexamic acid (TA) inhibits fibrinolysis by binding to lysine binding-sites of plasminogen to fibrin. Fibrinolysis is stimulated by surgical trauma, and the administration of TA has been shown effective in decreasing blood loss both intra-operatively and in the immediate post-operative period in elective hip and knee arthroplasty patients. Both the timing and dosing of TA has been investigated in these patients. Subsequent blood transfusion rate has also been shown to decrease as result of TA administration. Despite the support for TA utilization that exists in the arthroplasty literature, the data is scarce regarding its administration during surgical treatment of hip fractures. This is patient population who is at high risk for transfusion due to symptomatic post-operative anemia. This study aims to investigate whether TA's advantageous effects in the arthroplasty patient population can be extrapolated to the more unstable, heterogeneous hip fracture patient population. If the study is able to show a difference in blood loss and transfusion requirement, the long term implications of this with regards to cost and mortality can be significant.