Efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing allogeneic blood products in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery

BACKGROUND Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) surgery usually require prolonged operative times with extensive soft tissue dissection and significant perioperative blood loss, and allogeneic blood products are frequently needed. Methods to reduce the requirement for transfusion would have a beneficial effect on these patients. Although many previous studies have revealed the efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) in spinal surgery, there is still a lack of agreement concerning the reduction of both blood loss and transfusion requirements of large dose tranexamic acid (TXA) in surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The objective of this study was to elevate the efficacy and safety of a large dose tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing transfusion requirements of allogeneic blood products in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) surgery using a retrospective study designed with historical control group. METHODS One hundred thirty seven consecutive AIS patients who underwent surgery treatment with posterior spinal pedicle systems from August 2011 to March 2015 in our scoliosis center were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups, the TXA group and the historical recruited no TXA group (NTXA). Preoperative demographics, radiographic parameters, operative parameters, estimated blood loss (EBL), total irrigation fluid, number of patients requiring blood transfusion, mean drop of Hb (Pre-op Hb-Post-op Hb), haematocrit pre and post-surgery, mean volume of blood transfusion, hospitalization time, and adverse effect were recorded and compared. RESULTS All the patients were successfully treated with satisfied clinical and radiographic outcomes. There were 71 patients in the TXA group and 66 patients in the NTXA group. The preoperative demographics were homogeneity between two groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant difference in average operative time between two groups (209 min vs 215 min, p >0.05). Number of patients in the TXA group showed a significant decrease in transfusion requirements with an associated reduced intraoperative blood loss of nearly 45% compared with those in NTXA group (8 vs 37, 619 ml vs 1125 ml, P < 0.05). There were no significant difference in total irrigation fluid between two groups (540 vs 550, p >0.05). Additional, patients in NTXA group showed significant decrease of Hb compared with patients in TXA group (5.2 g/dL vs 3.3 g/dL, P < 0.05), No significant difference were found in hospitalization time between two groups (6.3 vs 7.2 days, P > 0.05). No minor adverse effects associated with use of TXA were noted. CONCLUSIONS Use of large dose tranexamic acid routinely seems to be effective and safe in reducing allogenic blood transfusion and blood loss in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery.