BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS Evaluation of the Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid on the Surgical Field in Primary Cleft Palate Surgery on Children—A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Study

Cleft palate is a common congenital anomaly requiring surgical correction in pediatric patients. The blood loss associated with this procedure is usually not severe enough to require transfusion (Adenekan et al., 2012), but any blood in the surgical field interferes with the surgery. There is likely to be more exudate from the tissues due to repeated infections and scarring. Tranexamic acid was shown to be beneficial in orofacial surgeries (Basta et al., 2012) in terms of reducing blood loss and improving the surgical field. However, its role in pediatric cleft palate surgery has not been evaluated. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, doubleblind study was to assess the effect of tranexamic acid on the quality of the surgical field, surgeon satisfaction with the field, and the rate of primary hemorrhage in pediatric patients undergoing repair of cleft palate. METHODS