Use of Topical Tranexamic Acid to Reduce Drainage Output After Thyroidectomy

Objective: Thyroid surgery is one of the frequent surgeries in daily operation schedules more often since the thyroid gland is very vascular Hematomas after thyroidectomy may cause airway obstruction, which is life-threatening and requires immediate surgical intervention. Therefore, many hemostatic devices and methods have been developed. Tranexamic acid is a synthetic lysine analog with low molecular weight. This study was planned to demonstrate the effect of intraoperative topical tranexamic acid on postoperative drainage output for thyroid surgery. Methods: This study was conducted in a tertiary referral center as a case-control study. In this case-control study, 57 patients were included. The patients were classified into 2 groups: those with intraoperative tranexamic acid (Group 1) and those without tranexamic acid (Group 2). The drainage output of patients after surgery was compared between the 2 groups. In Group 1,1 ampoule of tranexamic acid was applied intraoperatively to the thyroid bed using a syringe after total thyroidectomy for 5 minutes. All the patients were followed up for the first 24 hours. Results: The mean value of postoperative drainage output in Group 1 was 28.55 mL (21.9 mL-35.1 mL); in Group 2 it was 51.75 mL (4657 4 mL). We observed a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative drainage (P < 05). Conclusion: In our study, intraoperative topical tranexamic acid administration to the surgical bed after total thyroidectomy showed a significant decrease in postoperative drainage output.