Materials and Methods
This study was performed retrospectively in a single district general hospital using a local database of all patients undergoing thyroid surgery. The STROBE reporting guidelines was used. There are 260 patients included in the study who underwent hemi, total or completion thyroidectomy between May 2014 to August 2019 at Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation trust. Patients who had undergone an isthmusectomy or open thyroid biopsy were excluded. All operations were either performed or supervised by the same surgeon. Between May 2014 to November 2017 patients were not given TXA. From December 2017 to November 2019 all patients were given a single dose of 1g intravenous TXA at induction unless there were contraindications. Contraindications to TXA include allergy to TXA, coronary stents within the last 12 months, thromboembolic disease, stroke within the last 6 months, fibrinolytic conditions following disseminated intravascular coagulation and history of convulsions.
Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26 (IBM SPSS, Turkey) software. The t-test was used for analysis of continuous variables and the chi-square test and Fisher exact test for nominal variables. Results were evaluated within a 95% confidence interval, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.
No ethics approval was sought as TXA is routinely used peri-operatively at the hospital.