Tranexamic acid and post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage: propensity score and instrumental variable analyses.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Although post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage occurs rarely, it can be life-threatening. Previous studies showed that tranexamic acid (TXA) had insignificant association with the rate of post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage, but those findings were limited by small sample sizes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of TXA in preventing post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage using nationwide database. METHODS: Data of a retrospective cohort of 117,598 patients from 750 hospitals, who had undergone tonsillectomy between 2010 and 2016, were drawn from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan and studied. RESULTS: Propensity score-matched analysis showed no significant differences in proportions of reoperation or blood transfusion after tonsillectomy between the treatment (TXA from the day of tonsillectomy) and control groups (1.50% vs. 1.47%, p = 0.64). Instrumental variable analysis also showed no significant differences (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-1.13; p = 0.82). Higher proportions of reoperation or blood transfusion were significantly associated with male sex, older age, emergency hospitalization, prolonged anesthesia, and medium hospital volume (annual number of tonsillectomies). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of TXA from the day of tonsillectomy is not associated with reduction in reoperation or blood transfusion rates.