Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Ian Roberts, Haleema Shakur‐Still, Adefemi Afolabi, Adegboyega Akere, Mònica Arribas, Amy Brenner, Rizwana Chaudhri, Ian Gilmore, Kenneth Halligan, Irshad Hussain, Vipul Jairath, Kiran Javaid, Aasia Kayani, Ton Lisman, Raoul Mansukhani, Muttiullah Mutti, Muhammad Arif Nadeem, Richard Pollok, Jonathan Simmons, Majid Ali Soomro, Simon Stanworth, Andrew Veitch, Christopher J. Hawkey, Adefemi Afolabi, Jack Cuzick, Kenneth Halligan, David Henry, Chris Metcalfe, Ian Roberts, Richard Gray, Alan Barkun, Suresh S. David, P.J. Devereaux, Tony Brady, Ian Roberts, Haleema Shakur‐Still, Tim Coats, Phil Edwards, Ian Gilmore, Vipul Jairath, Katharine Ker, Daniela Manno, Simon Stanworth, Andrew Veitch, Mònica Arribas, Emma Austin, Kiran Bal, Eni Balogun, Collette Barrow, Danielle Beaumont, Myriam Benyahia, Amy Brenner, Imogen Brooks, Madeleine Cargill, Laura Carrington, Phil Edwards, Lauren Frimley, Amber Geer, Daniel Gilbert, Catherine Gilliam, Julio Gil Onandia, Nayia Golfi, Daniel Hetherington, Courtenay Howe, Carolyn Hughes, David I'Anson, Rob Jackson, Miland Joshi, Sneha Kansagra, Taemi Kawahara, Katharine Ker, Sergey Kostrov, Daniela Manno, Raoul Mansukhani, Hakim Miah, B. Ndungu, Kelly Needham, Aroudra Outtandy, Daniel Pearson, Tracey Pepple, Danielle Prowse, Nigel Quashi, Anna Quinn, Maria Ramos, Laura Ranopa, Mia Reid, Ian Roberts, Chris Roukas, Haleema Shakur‐Still, Chelci Squires, Jemma Tanner, Andrew Thayne, Ruhama Uddin, Rizwana Chaudhri, Muttiullah Mutti, Kiran Javaid, Aasia Kayani, Bukola Fawole, Folasade Adenike Bello, Oladapo Olayemi
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODS: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. FINDINGS: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82-1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). INTERPRETATION: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme.