Diffusion of Tranexamic Acid to the Joint

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Abstract
The diffusion of tranexamic acid to the knee joint was studied in 17 patients (10 men and 7 women) between 25-72 yr of age. Ten of the patients were operated upon because of ruptured meniscus of the knee joint and 7 underwent synovectomy of the knee joint because of rheumatoid arthritis. A dose of 1 mg/kg body wt of tranexamic acid was given slowly 1-17 h before the operation. The synovial fluid was aspirated and a biopsy specimen of the synovial membrane was obtained at the operation. The tranexamic acid in serum, joint fluid and synovial membrane was determined. The acid diffused rapidly to the synovial membrane and the joint fluid where it reached the same concentration as in the serum. In the joint fluid the biologic half-time was about 3 h. Tranexamic acid is a suitable supplement to conventional substitution therapy for the treatment of joint bleeding in hemophiliacs and in association with intra-articular operations on such patients.