Oral Tranexamic Acid Does Not Improve Arthroscopic Visibility During Rotator Cuff Repair

Objective: To evaluate the quality of arthroscopic visibility during rotator cuff repair using oral Tranexamic Acid (TXA). Secondary objectives included evaluating whether oral TXA administration has any impact on cerebral oxygenation, mean arterial pressure (MAP), irrigation pump pressures, surgical and anesthetic times. Methods: A prospective, comparative, randomized, double-blinded study was conducted on patients treated by arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The sample was divided into 2 groups: group A (n=24) received oral TXA 30 minutes before the procedure and group B (n=20) was the control group without oral TXA. Variables were compared at 4 different surgical moments (tenodesis, rotator cuff repair, subacromial decompression, acromioclavicular decompression). Visibility was categorized into 2 grades (grade I “poor visibility” or grade II “good visibility”), values for cerebral oxygenation, MAP, irrigation pump pressures, surgical and anesthetic times were compared. Results: The study included 44 patients, with a mean age of 57 years. Visibility was significantly better during tenodesis in group A (p < 0.001), but there were no differences at other surgical moments. Cerebral oxygenation was higher in group A (p < 0.05) at all surgical moments. There were no statistically significant differences in MAP control, irrigation pump pressures, or surgical and anesthetic times.