Tranexamic acid to reduce mortality in emergency surgery
Citation: Perel P, Ker K, Morales Uribe CH, et al. Tranexamic acid for reducing mortality in emergency and urgent surgery. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(1):CD010245.
Language: Abstract available in EN, ES, FR. Plain language summary available in EN, ES, FR, HR. Full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Cochrane Review Incentive Scheme, Department of Health (UK).
What is this? Emergency surgery is associated with a high risk of bleeding and death. Tranexamic acid, a drug that helps with blood clotting, has been shown to reduce the need for blood transfusions in adults undergoing elective surgery.
In this Cochrane review, the authors searched for randomised trials of the effects of tranexamic acid on mortality, blood transfusion, and thromboembolic events in adults undergoing emergency or urgent surgery. They did not restrict their searches by date or language of publication. The search was conducted in August 2012. They identified 5 studies (372 participants) from France (1), India (1), Iran (2), and Turkey (1), involving femur fractures (2), hip fractures (2), and emergency coronary bypass grafts (1). Three trials (260 patients) provided data for the analysis.
What works: Tranexamic acid reduced the probability of blood transfusion in patients undergoing emergency or urgent surgery.
What doesn’t work: Nothing noted.
This summary was prepared by Catherine Haynes, checked by Briann Mensour, and finalized by William Summerskill.