A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing combined intravenous and topical tranexamic acid with intravenous administration alone in THA

PURPOSE To compare the effectiveness and safety of combined intravenous and topical tranexamic acid with intravenous use alone in THA. METHODS The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Cochrane central, and further adapted for Google and Google Scholar internet, last updated on Dec 30, 2016, were searched. Evaluated outcomes included total blood loss, transfusion rate, maximum postoperative Hb drop, and incidence of thromboembolic complications. The standard mean difference (SMD) or the relative risk (RR) was calculated for continuous or dichotomous data respectively. The quality of the trial was assessed, and meta-analyses were performed with the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.0 software. RESULTS Five RCTs with 457 patients were included. Combined TXA administration reduced blood loss (SMD, 1.39; 95%CI, 0.55 to 2.23; P<0.00001, I2 = 94%), hemoglobin decline (SMD, 0.84; 95%CI, 0.13 to 1.54; P = 0.01, I2 = 83%) and the need for transfusion (RR, 2.58; 95%CI, 1.59 to 4.18; P = 0.65, I2 = 0%) without increasing the rate of thromboembolic complications significantly (RR, 0.83; 95%CI, 0.27 to 2.54; P = 0.81, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION The present study has emphasized that combined TXA administration can effectively reduce blood loss, hemoglobin decline and the need for transfusion without increasing the rate of thromboembolic complications.