The Role of Tranexamic Acid in Preventing Bleeding in Sleeve Gastrectomies

Background: Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) is the most commonly performed bariatric surgical procedure worldwide for the prevention of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Postoperative bleeding is among the most frequent complications, occurring in approximately 2-4% of cases. In this study, our aim was to observe the effectiveness of peroperatively administered Tranexamic Acid (TXA) in reducing post-Sleeve Gastrectomy bleeding complications. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 185 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy at our clinic between 2021 and 2023. Patients who received peroperative Tranexamic Acid (TXA) were assigned to group 1 (95 patients), while those who underwent standard treatment formed group 2 (90 patients). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index, and comorbidities. Results: We observed that postoperative bleeding was less frequent in the group where Tranexamic Acid (TXA) was administered peroperatively, independent of gender and comorbidities, compared to the group where it was not applied in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG). Conclusions: Tranexamic Acid (TXA) has proven its effectiveness in orthopedics and obstetrics. In our study, we observed that its use in peroperative Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) reduced postoperative bleeding complications. We anticipate that the use of TXA in LSG surgeries will become more widespread.