Compared with placebo, tranexamic acid did not reduce hematoma growth in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a new study shows.
In the randomized controlled trial, the rate of hematoma expansion was 40.4% among patients who received tranexamic acid and 41.5% among those who received placebo. The degree of disability at 90 days also did not differ between treatment arms.
"Our work has once again shown that tranexamic acid is safe in spontaneous ICH," Jingyi Liu, MD, a physician in the neurocritical care unit at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, told Medscape Medical News. "Larger studies with more specified population are needed to further assess safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid in patients with ICH."
The findings were presented at the European Stroke Organization Conference (ESOC) 2021, which was held online. They were also published online June 28 in Stroke and Vascular Neurology.
Imaging-Based Patient Selection
ICH is often fatal and entails a high risk for disability, the researchers write. Approximately 40% of patients with ICH die within a month of onset, and about two thirds of patients do not achieve long-term functional independence.
Intracerebral hematoma expansion is predictive of poor clinical outcome in ICH. Data indicate that tranexamic acid, an antifibrinolytic agent, reduces hematoma expansion.
