Minimizing intraoperative blood loss: Contemporary strategies

Postoperative blood loss continues to be a common complication following total hip and knee arthroplasty. There are inherent risks to blood transfusion, including increased infection risk, volume overload, and transfusion-related reactions. Recently, antifibrinolytic medications including tranexamic acid have been utilized to decrease perioperative blood loss and decrease the need for postoperative blood transfusions. Recent research has specifically addressed both the efficacy and the safety concerns of these newer treatment modalities and found great results.