Currently standard of care for preventing blood clots in total knee replacement patients is the drug Fragmin which is a daily injection for 10 days after surgery. Patients are in hospital for 3 to 5 days after total knee replacement surgery and patients are taught in hospital to do their injections. The investigators would like to introduce the drug Pradax. Pradax is a Health Canada approved once a day, oral drug that may prevent blood clots in the patient's leg. In this study the patient will receive the standard of care injection drug Fragmin while in hospital but on discharge home the patient will take the oral drug Pradax daily (2 tablets 110mg) for 10 days.
We will enroll one hundred patients who are scheduled to have a total knee replacement. If you have signed the consent form for this study you will receive the standard of care treatment for blood clots, which is a daily injection drug called Fragmin. On the day of discharge from hospital study patients will receive a ten day supply of oral Pradax. to be taken once a day. The Orthopaedic research coordinator will call the study patients at post discharge day three and five to check on compliance and or concerns. All total knee replacement patients whether in study or not are seen in the Orthopaedic clinic at post op day 10 for staple removal and again at the 6 week point, 3 month, and 6 month and 1 year point. Standard of care x-rays are done also at these visits.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Pradax (dabigatran etexilate) is a prodrug that when converted to the active from in the liver and plasma it becomes a reversible, competitive direct thrombin inhibitor. Thrombin catalyses the conversion of soluble fibrinogen into soluble fibrin, the final step in the coagulation cascade. Pradax competitively blocks the active site of both free and clot-bound thrombin, preventing the development of a thrombus. they will take 110 mg 1-4 hours post op. and 220mg daily until 10 days post op.
Halifax Infirmary
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
The primary efficacy outcome will be the clinical evidence of any deep vein thrombosis, non-fatal pulmonary embolism or death from any causes within 28 days after surgery. The primary safety outcome is major bleeding
Time frame: 28 day post op and 6 months radiograophically
Secondary efficacy end points will be the radiographic assessment of healing, the clinical assessment of weight-¬bearing status at 6 months post treatment, and the incidence of additional surgical/medical interventions to promote healing.
Time frame: 6 Months
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