Less blood loss under concomitant administration of tranexamic acid and indirect factor Xa inhibitor following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized controlled trial

72 patients scheduled to receive primary unilateral cemented total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were randomly assigned into one of two groups to determine if the simultaneous application of tranexamic acid and indirect factor Xa inhibitor was a safe and effective blood loss prevention treatment when compared to indirect factor Xa inhibitor alone. Patients either received tranexamic acid in combination with indirect factor Xa inhibitor, or a placebo in combination with indirect factor Xa inhibitor, and were followed-up for 90 days after surgery. The results of the study indicated that tranexamic acid significantly reduced acute blood loss in patients following TKA surgery, and that no apparent adverse effects arose from the possible drug interaction between the two interventions.