Effectiveness of preoperative tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during caesarean section at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: bleeding during and after caesarean section is one of the contributors to maternal mortality and morbidity. Tranexamic acid can be given before surgery to significantly reduce the amount of blood loss during caesarean section. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during caesarean section at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Methods: this was a randomized double blind placebo controlled study that was carried out among 244 women who were to have emergency caesarean section between December 2017 and June 2018 and were randomly assigned to the study group or control group. Women in the study group received lg (10m/s) of tranexamic acid intravenously while women in the control group received 10ml of normal saline. Oxytocin was administered in the two groups according to protocol. Measurement of blood loss was done immediately after surgery. Postoperative drop in haemoglobin and haematocrit were also determined. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Version 22. Results: the average intra operative blood loss was 414.0 ml in the study group and 773.8 ml in the control group (t = - 16.18, p <= 0.01). Average postoperative haemoglobin was 10.1 g/dl in the study group and 9.5 g/dl in the control group (t = 4.99, p <= 0.01). Average postoperative haematocrit was 31.5% in the study group and 29.9% in the control group (t = 4.70, p <= 0.01). Conclusion: there was a significant reduction in the blood loss when preoperative tranexamic acid was given to patients who were to undergo emergency caesarean section.