Intravenous Tranexamic Acid Improves Visual Clarity During Synovectomy in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study

Purpose To assess the effects of intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) on visual clarity at various surgical stages and the correlation between severity of synovitis and bursitis and visual clarity in patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery under an interscalene brachial plexus block. Methods This double-blind, randomized controlled study included patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The TXA group was injected 1000 mg of TXA intravenously, and the control group was administered the same volume in normal saline 10 min preoperatively. Visual clarity was rated according to a three-grade visual clarity scoring system from grade 1 (clear) to grade 3 (poor) at four surgical stages (I, intra-articular soft tissue procedure including synovectomy; II, acromioplasty; III, bursectomy; and IV, greater tuberoplasty). The primary outcome was arthroscopic visual clarity. The secondary outcomes were medications administered for hemodynamic stability, length of hospital stay, and thromboembolic events. Results Altogether, 63 patients were included in the study and they were divided into the TXA group comprising 32 patients and the control group comprising 31 patients. The TXA group showed significantly better visual clarity than the control group (1(1–2) vs 2(1–2), p=0.027) during stage I, but not during stages II–IV. Spearman correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between synovitis and visual clarity grade during synovectomy (correlation coefficient, 0.393; p=0.001), but not between bursitis and visual clarity grade during bursectomy. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism did not occur in either group. Conclusions Intravenous TXA can improve visual clarity during intra-articular soft tissue procedures, including synovectomy. However, it does not have a significant effect during acromioplasty, bursectomy, and greater tuberoplasty. TXA can be used to improve visual clarity in patients with suspected severe synovitis. Level of Evidence Level I, randomized controlled trial