Use of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid Improves Early Ambulation After Total Knee Arthroplasty and Anterior and Posterior Total Hip Arthroplasty.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study (N = 477) to determine if use of intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) improves early ambulation and reduces blood loss after total knee arthroplasty and anterior and posterior total hip arthroplasty. Mean (SD) patient age was 66.5 (10.1) years. For all 3 procedures, early ambulation was significantly better in the TXA group than in the no-TXA group at postoperative days 1 and 2, and, over time, reductions in hemoglobin and hematocrit were statistically significantly lower in the TXA group than in the no-TXA group. TXA groups required fewer postoperative transfusions. Incidence of postoperative venous thromboembolism was similar between all groups. TXA use improves early ambulation after total joint arthroplasty.