18. Safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid use in posterior cervical decompression and fusion surgery

Posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCDF) involves substantial blood loss, resulting in blood transfusions and associated complications, such as infections, hypotension and organ damage. The antifibrinolytic tranexamic acid (TXA), an inhibitor of the activation of plasminogen, has been shown to be beneficial in multiple surgical procedures without any apparent increase in postoperative complications. However, only a few studies report on TXA utilization in cervical spine surgery and there is currently no literature detailing the short-term safety of its use in this setting.

Source: The Spine Journal - August 23, 2019 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Joseph P. Gjolaj, Roberto J. Perez Roman, Karthik Madhavan, Julian Lugo-Pico Source Type: research