Intra-articular injection of tranexamic acid reduces not only blood loss but also knee joint swelling after total knee arthroplasty.

This is an interesting randomized controlled trial showing that the intra-articular administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces knee joint swelling as well as blood loss after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The technique appears to be very easy to implement and very cheap. The added advantage of this alternative to transfusion is the possibility to reduce patient discomfort after TKA. Further studies are needed to investigate whether the intra-articular administration of TXA increases the risk of VTE.

– Elvira Bisbe