The effect of perioperative sequential application of multiple doses of tranexamic acid on postoperative blood loss after PLIF: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been utilized in spinal surgery to effectively reduce intraoperative blood loss (IBL) and allogeneic blood transfusion rates. However, the traditional TXA regimen might last the entire duration of hyperfibrinolysis caused by surgical trauma, resulting in its limited ability to reduce postoperative blood loss (PBL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of perioperative sequential administration of multiple doses of TXA in reducing PBL in patients who underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Methods: From October 2022 to June 2023, 231 patients who were diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease and scheduled to undergo PLIF were prospectively enrolled in the present study. The patients were randomly divided into three groups. Moreover, all patients received an intravenous injection of TXA at a dose of 15 mg/kg 15 min before the surgical skin incision. Patients in Group A received a placebo of normal saline after surgery, while patients in Group B received three additional intravenous injections of TXA at a dose of 15 mg/kg every 24 h. Patients in Group C received three additional intravenous injections of TXA at a dose of 15 mg/kg every 5 h. The primary outcome measure was PBL. In addition, this study assessed total blood loss (TBL), IBL, routine blood parameters, liver and kidney function, coagulation parameters, fibrinolysis indexes, inflammatory indicators, drainage tube removal time (DRT), length of hospital stay (LOS), blood transfusion rate, and incidence of complications for all subjects. Results: The PBL, TBL, DRT, and LOS of Group B and Group C were significantly lower than those of Group A ( P <0.05). The level of D-dimer (D-D) in Group C was significantly lower than that in Group A on the first day after the operation ( P =0.002), and that in Group B was significantly lower than that in Group A on the third day after the operation ( P =0.003). The interleukin-6 levels between the three groups from 1 to 5 days after the operation were in the order of Group A > Group B > Group C. No serious complications were observed in any patient. The results of multiple stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that PBL was positively correlated with incision length, IBL, smoking history, history of hypertension, preoperative fibrinogen degradation product level, and blood transfusion. It was negatively correlated with preoperative levels of fibrinogen, red blood cells, blood urea nitrogen, and age. Compared to female patients, male patients had an increased risk of PBL. Finally, the incidence of PBL was predicted. Conclusions: Sequential application of multiple doses of TXA during the perioperative period could safely and effectively reduce PBL and TBL, shorten DRT and LOS, reduce postoperative D-D generation, and reduce the postoperative inflammatory response. In addition, this study provided a novel prediction model for PBL in patients undergoing PLIF.