Anti-inflammatory effect of multi-dose tranexamic acid in hip and knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is considered a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate postoperative inflammatory responses; however, its anti-inflammatory effects remain controversial. This study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials aiming to investigate the efficacy of multi-dose TXA in exerting anti-inflammatory effects in hip and knee arthroplasty.

Methods: We identified potential relevant literature evaluating the anti-inflammatory effects of TXA in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.

Results: Nine randomized controlled studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis results indicated that, compared with lower doses of TXA, multi-dose TXA significantly reduced the inflammatory markers IL-6 and CRP in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty and shortened the length of hospital stay, with statistically significant results. Nonsignificant differences were found in the incidence of thromboembolic events.

Conclusion: Based on the current evidence, our results indicate that multi-dose TXA effectively reduces postoperative inflammatory responses in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty. This anti-inflammatory effect is dose-dependent and is accompanied by a reduction in the length of hospital stay. Nonetheless, further high-quality, multicenter, large-sample-size randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the anti-inflammatory effects of TXA.