Tranexamic Acid for Bleeding in Breast Surgery

Summary

Bleeding is an important consideration in breast surgeries that involve large resections of soft tissues in the breast. Inappropriate bleeding during or after surgery, can lead to uncomfortable fluid buildup in the breasts known as a hematoma or seroma, which may require additional procedures or reoperation. Patients may experience a great deal of discomfort and additional costs as a result; additional hospital time and procedures also burdens health care spending. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is commonly used drug in many medical settings to reduce excessive bleeding; however, no such drug is standard practice in breast surgery. The aim of this study is to determine if TXA is superior to placebo in reducing the bleeding complications in breast surgeries, including reduction mammaplasty, mastectomy with and without immediate tissue expander and implant-based reconstruction, and oncoplastic breast surgery. This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients undergoing these procedures will be randomly allocated to receive either TXA or placebo. Patients will be placed on a drug/placebo regimen of 3 doses/day for 6 days starting on the day of their surgery. The primary outcome is the incidence of hematoma and/or seroma formation following breast surgery. Cost analysis of the intervention will also be performed.

Timeline

Start

2016-02

Primary completion

2019-02

Completion

2019-02

Publications

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• Background Pannucci CJ, Wachtman CF, Dreszer G, Bailey SH, Portschy PR, Hamill JB, Hume KM, Hoxworth RE, Kalliainen LK, Rubin JP, Pusic AL, Wilkins EG. The effect of postoperative enoxaparin on risk for reoperative hematoma. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012 Jan;129(1):160-168. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e318236215c.
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• Background Oertli D, Laffer U, Haberthuer F, Kreuter U, Harder F. Perioperative and postoperative tranexamic acid reduces the local wound complication rate after surgery for breast cancer. Br J Surg. 1994 Jun;81(6):856-9. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800810621.
• Background Moher D, Hopewell S, Schulz KF, Montori V, Gotzsche PC, Devereaux PJ, Elbourne D, Egger M, Altman DG; CONSORT. CONSORT 2010 explanation and elaboration: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. Int J Surg. 2012;10(1):28-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2011.10.001. Epub 2011 Oct 12.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.