Curvature of SpinePhase 2TXANCT01728636

The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce Perioperative Blood Loss During High Risk Spine Fusion Surgery

A Phase 2 study testing Tranexamic Acid in people with Curvature of Spine, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record

Search all trials

Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss and red blood cell transfusion during high risk spine surgery. Read more about this study

Who is it for?: Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for: Curvature of Spine
What is being tested?: Tranexamic Acid
Type of treatment: Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?: Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people: 61 participants
Where: 1 siteUnited States
Study dates: 15 Jan 2013to 30 Dec 2017
Phase: Phase 2
Are there results?: Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

Ages 18 years and older
All sexes
No healthy volunteers
Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

age>17 years
undergoing posterior spine fusion surgery for kyphoscoliosis with a >80% chance of major transfusion

Who cannot join

age < 18 years
non-English speaking
pregnancy
emergency procedures
surgery for tumor, trauma or infection
severe coronary artery disease

Show all 10Show fewer

history of venous thromboembolism
history of cerebral vascular accident
history of renal insufficiency
allergy to tranexamic acid

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to determine if tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss and red blood cell transfusion during high risk spine surgery.

Read the detailed description

There are conflicting studies in the literature reporting different efficacy outcomes for the use of antifibrinolytics in spine fusion surgery. Several studies support the successful use of tranexamic acid for major orthopedic procedures, but the patient populations studied for spine surgery thus far have been small and highly variable, with less than clinically significant results. If TXA if efficacious in reducing not only perioperative blood loss, but RBC transfusion without an increase in thromboembolic events, then its use may be justified for patients at risk for major blood transfusion.

Conditions: Curvature of Spine
Being tested: Tranexamic Acid
Medical subject headings: Spinal Curvatures

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Tranexamic AcidDrug
Also called Lysteda
intravenous administration of bolus and infusion for duration of surgical procedure

Study groups in NCT01728636
Study group	Role	What they receive
Tranexamic Acid	Experimental	Tranexamic acid 10mg/kg loading dose given pre-incision and 1mg/kg/hr infusion throughout intraoperative period Receives: Drug: Tranexamic Acid
Placebo	Placebo comparator	Normal saline placebo loading dose 0.5ml/kg and infusion at 0.5ml/kg/hr throughout operative course Receives: Drug: Tranexamic Acid

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

Total Red Blood Cells Transfused in the Intraoperative Period
Total red blood cells transfused in the intraoperative period in (mL). Total RBC equal packed red blood cells and cell saver infusion.
Measured: Intraoperative period (approximately 12 hours)

Secondary outcomes (2)

Additional Blood Products Transfused
Total additional blood products (fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, and platelets) transfused in the perioperative period measured in units.
Measured: 24 hours after skin incision
Post Operative Major Morbidity
Number of participants who experienced arterial or venous thromboembolism, neurologic complications (including stroke, seizure,and delirium), infections, and pulmonary renal or cardiac adverse outcomes (demand ischemia, myocardial infarction or new arrhythmia) before another operative procedure or hospital discharge.
Measured: Time of surgery to date of discharge from hospital (average 7 days)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

15 Jan 201330 Dec 2017

First posted20 Nov 2012 (estimated)
Study start15 Jan 2013
Primary completion30 Dec 2017
Study completion30 Dec 2017

Resources

Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
Publications (16)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
Other trials for Curvature of SpineStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design

Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 2
Primary purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomised
Intervention model: Parallel groups
Masking: Quadruple blind
Who is masked: Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment: 61 participants (actual)

IDs, dates and publications

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01728636
Sponsor's protocol ID: STU00066949
Acronym: TXA
Status last verified: Jan 2021
First submitted: 9 Nov 2012
Last updated: 26 Jan 2021
Results posted: Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
Data monitoring committee: No

Publications

Elgafy H, Bransford RJ, McGuire RA, Dettori JR, Fischer D. Blood loss in major spine surgery: are there effective measures to decrease massive hemorrhage in major spine fusion surgery? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Apr 20;35(9 Suppl):S47-56. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181d833f6.
PubMed 20407351
Yang BP, Ondra SL, Chen LA, Jung HS, Koski TR, Salehi SA. Clinical and radiographic outcomes of thoracic and lumbar pedicle subtraction osteotomy for fixed sagittal imbalance. J Neurosurg Spine. 2006 Jul;5(1):9-17. doi: 10.3171/spi.2006.5.1.9.
PubMed 16850951
Bernard AC, Davenport DL, Chang PK, Vaughan TB, Zwischenberger JB. Intraoperative transfusion of 1 U to 2 U packed red blood cells is associated with increased 30-day mortality, surgical-site infection, pneumonia, and sepsis in general surgery patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2009 May;208(5):931-7, 937.e1-2; discussion 938-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2008.11.019. Epub 2009 Mar 26.
PubMed 19476865
Ferraris VA, Davenport DL, Saha SP, Austin PC, Zwischenberger JB. Surgical outcomes and transfusion of minimal amounts of blood in the operating room. Arch Surg. 2012 Jan;147(1):49-55. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.790.
PubMed 22250113
Henry D, Carless P, Fergusson D, Laupacis A. The safety of aprotinin and lysine-derived antifibrinolytic drugs in cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis. CMAJ. 2009 Jan 20;180(2):183-93. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.081109. Epub 2008 Dec 2.
PubMed 19050037
Henry DA, Carless PA, Moxey AJ, O'Connell D, Stokes BJ, McClelland B, Laupacis A, Fergusson D. Anti-fibrinolytic use for minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD001886. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001886.pub2.
PubMed 17943760
Kagoma YK, Crowther MA, Douketis J, Bhandari M, Eikelboom J, Lim W. Use of antifibrinolytic therapy to reduce transfusion in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery: a systematic review of randomized trials. Thromb Res. 2009 Mar;123(5):687-96. doi: 10.1016/j.thromres.2008.09.015. Epub 2008 Nov 12.
PubMed 19007970
CRASH-2 trial collaborators; Shakur H, Roberts I, Bautista R, Caballero J, Coats T, Dewan Y, El-Sayed H, Gogichaishvili T, Gupta S, Herrera J, Hunt B, Iribhogbe P, Izurieta M, Khamis H, Komolafe E, Marrero MA, Mejia-Mantilla J, Miranda J, Morales C, Olaomi O, Olldashi F, Perel P, Peto R, Ramana PV, Ravi RR, Yutthakasemsunt S. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and blood transfusion in trauma patients with significant haemorrhage (CRASH-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2010 Jul 3;376(9734):23-32. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60835-5. Epub 2010 Jun 14.
PubMed 20554319
Elwatidy S, Jamjoom Z, Elgamal E, Zakaria A, Turkistani A, El-Dawlatly A. Efficacy and safety of prophylactic large dose of tranexamic acid in spine surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Nov 15;33(24):2577-80. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318188b9c5.
PubMed 19011538
Endres S, Heinz M, Wilke A. Efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss in posterior lumbar spine surgery for degenerative spinal stenosis with instability: a retrospective case control study. BMC Surg. 2011 Nov 3;11:29. doi: 10.1186/1471-2482-11-29.
PubMed 22047046
Gill JB, Chin Y, Levin A, Feng D. The use of antifibrinolytic agents in spine surgery. A meta-analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008 Nov;90(11):2399-407. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.G.01179.
PubMed 18978408
Tsutsumimoto T, Shimogata M, Ohta H, Yui M, Yoda I, Misawa H. Tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty: a prospective randomized study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Nov 1;36(23):1913-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181fb3a42.
PubMed 21289587
Halpin RJ, Sugrue PA, Gould RW, Kallas PG, Schafer MF, Ondra SL, Koski TR. Standardizing care for high-risk patients in spine surgery: the Northwestern high-risk spine protocol. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Dec 1;35(25):2232-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181e8abb0.
PubMed 21102298
Tzortzopoulou A, Cepeda MS, Schumann R, Carr DB. Antifibrinolytic agents for reducing blood loss in scoliosis surgery in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jul 16;(3):CD006883. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006883.pub2.
PubMed 18646174
Dirkmann D, Gorlinger K, Gisbertz C, Dusse F, Peters J. Factor XIII and tranexamic acid but not recombinant factor VIIa attenuate tissue plasminogen activator-induced hyperfibrinolysis in human whole blood. Anesth Analg. 2012 Jun;114(6):1182-8. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e31823b6683. Epub 2011 Nov 21.
PubMed 22104068

Study at a glance

From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Jan 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.

Official title: The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce Perioperative Blood Loss During High Risk Spine Fusion Surgery
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01728636
Acronym / sponsor ID: TXA / STU00066949
Conditions: Curvature of Spine
Phase: Phase 2
Study type: Interventional
Recruitment status: Completed
Enrolment: 61 participants (actual)
Lead sponsor: Northwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
Study start: 15 Jan 2013 (actual)
Primary completion: 30 Dec 2017 (actual)
Study completion: 30 Dec 2017 (actual)
First posted: 20 Nov 2012 (estimated)
Results: Posted 26 Jan 2021

Clinical summary

The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.

The purpose of this study is to determine if tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss and red blood cell transfusion during high risk spine surgery.

Detailed description

Study design

Primary purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomised
Intervention model: Parallel groups
Masking: Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
Number of arms: 2

Arm	Type	Receives
Tranexamic Acid	Experimental	Drug: Tranexamic AcidTranexamic acid 10mg/kg loading dose given pre-incision and 1mg/kg/hr infusion throughout intraoperative period
Placebo	Placebo comparator	Drug: Tranexamic AcidNormal saline placebo loading dose 0.5ml/kg and infusion at 0.5ml/kg/hr throughout operative course

Who may qualify

Ages: 18 years and older
Sex: All
Healthy volunteers: Not accepted
Age groups: Adult, Older adult

Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)

age>17 years
undergoing posterior spine fusion surgery for kyphoscoliosis with a >80% chance of major transfusion

Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)

age < 18 years
non-English speaking
pregnancy
emergency procedures
surgery for tumor, trauma or infection

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Interventions

Intervention	Type	Arms
Tranexamic AcidAlso: Lystedaintravenous administration of bolus and infusion for duration of surgical procedure	Drug	Placebo, Tranexamic Acid

Primary outcome

Total Red Blood Cells Transfused in the Intraoperative Period
Time frame: Intraoperative period (approximately 12 hours)
Total red blood cells transfused in the intraoperative period in (mL). Total RBC equal packed red blood cells and cell saver infusion.

2 secondary outcomes

Additional Blood Products Transfused
Time frame: 24 hours after skin incision
Post Operative Major Morbidity
Time frame: Time of surgery to date of discharge from hospital (average 7 days)

Results and safety

Results posted to the registry on 26 Jan 2021, as reported by the sponsor. Figures are copied from the record, not re-analysed. Full results on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Participant flow

Group	Started	Completed
Tranexamic Acid	31	31
Placebo	30	30

Primary outcome: Total Red Blood Cells Transfused in the Intraoperative Period

Time frame: Intraoperative period (approximately 12 hours). Median (Inter-Quartile Range). Unit: milliliters

Measure	Tranexamic Acid n = 31	Placebo n = 30
Value	1140 (560 to 1744)	1460 (1115 to 2650)

Tranexamic Acid vs Placebo: p = .05, Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney)

2 secondary outcomes are reported in the full results.

Adverse events

Time frame: Start of surgery to discharge from the hospital ( approximately 7 days). Other adverse events reported at 0% frequency or more

Group	Serious adverse events	Other adverse events	Deaths
Tranexamic Acid	9 of 31 (29%)	0 of 31 (0%)	0 of 31
Placebo	9 of 30 (30%)	0 of 30 (0%)	0 of 30

Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…

Research links

Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Jan 2021.
Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
Background: PubMed 20407351Elgafy H, Bransford RJ, McGuire RA, Dettori JR, Fischer D. Blood loss in major spine surgery: are there effective measures to decrease massive hemorrhage in major spine fusion surgery? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Apr 20;35(9 Suppl):S47-56. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181d833f6.
Background: PubMed 16850951Yang BP, Ondra SL, Chen LA, Jung HS, Koski TR, Salehi SA. Clinical and radiographic outcomes of thoracic and lumbar pedicle subtraction osteotomy for fixed sagittal imbalance. J Neurosurg Spine. 2006 Jul;5(1):9-17. doi: 10.3171/spi.2006.5.1.9.
Background: PubMed 19476865Bernard AC, Davenport DL, Chang PK, Vaughan TB, Zwischenberger JB. Intraoperative transfusion of 1 U to 2 U packed red blood cells is associated with increased 30-day mortality, surgical-site infection, pneumonia, and sepsis in general surgery patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2009 May;208(5):931-7, 937.e1-2; discussion 938-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2008.11.019. Epub 2009 Mar 26.
Background: PubMed 22250113Ferraris VA, Davenport DL, Saha SP, Austin PC, Zwischenberger JB. Surgical outcomes and transfusion of minimal amounts of blood in the operating room. Arch Surg. 2012 Jan;147(1):49-55. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.790.
Background: PubMed 19050037Henry D, Carless P, Fergusson D, Laupacis A. The safety of aprotinin and lysine-derived antifibrinolytic drugs in cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis. CMAJ. 2009 Jan 20;180(2):183-93. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.081109. Epub 2008 Dec 2.
Background: PubMed 17943760Henry DA, Carless PA, Moxey AJ, O'Connell D, Stokes BJ, McClelland B, Laupacis A, Fergusson D. Anti-fibrinolytic use for minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD001886. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001886.pub2.
Background: PubMed 19007970Kagoma YK, Crowther MA, Douketis J, Bhandari M, Eikelboom J, Lim W. Use of antifibrinolytic therapy to reduce transfusion in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery: a systematic review of randomized trials. Thromb Res. 2009 Mar;123(5):687-96. doi: 10.1016/j.thromres.2008.09.015. Epub 2008 Nov 12.
Background: PubMed 20554319CRASH-2 trial collaborators; Shakur H, Roberts I, Bautista R, Caballero J, Coats T, Dewan Y, El-Sayed H, Gogichaishvili T, Gupta S, Herrera J, Hunt B, Iribhogbe P, Izurieta M, Khamis H, Komolafe E, Marrero MA, Mejia-Mantilla J, Miranda J, Morales C, Olaomi O, Olldashi F, Perel P, Peto R, Ramana PV, Ravi RR, Yutthakasemsunt S. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and blood transfusion in trauma patients with significant haemorrhage (CRASH-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2010 Jul 3;376(9734):23-32. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60835-5. Epub 2010 Jun 14.
Background: PubMed 19011538Elwatidy S, Jamjoom Z, Elgamal E, Zakaria A, Turkistani A, El-Dawlatly A. Efficacy and safety of prophylactic large dose of tranexamic acid in spine surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Nov 15;33(24):2577-80. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318188b9c5.
Background: PubMed 22047046Endres S, Heinz M, Wilke A. Efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss in posterior lumbar spine surgery for degenerative spinal stenosis with instability: a retrospective case control study. BMC Surg. 2011 Nov 3;11:29. doi: 10.1186/1471-2482-11-29.
Background: PubMed 18978408Gill JB, Chin Y, Levin A, Feng D. The use of antifibrinolytic agents in spine surgery. A meta-analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008 Nov;90(11):2399-407. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.G.01179.
Background: PubMed 21289587Tsutsumimoto T, Shimogata M, Ohta H, Yui M, Yoda I, Misawa H. Tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty: a prospective randomized study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Nov 1;36(23):1913-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181fb3a42.

Referral and contact

AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.

Louanne M Carabini, MD principal investigator

Northwestern University

1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Tranexamic Acid in people with Curvature of Spine, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Jan 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 26 Jan 2021). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Total Red Blood Cells Transfused in the Intraoperative Period (time frame: Intraoperative period (approximately 12 hours)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01728636, which also lists 16 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Jan 2021; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.