Aminocaproic acid versus prednisone for the treatment of traumatic hyphema. A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

One hundred twelve patients who sustained hyphema after blunt trauma were enrolled in a double-blind randomized clinical trial to determine the relative efficacies of aminocaproic acid (Amicar) and systemic prednisone for reducing the rate of secondary hemorrhage. Fifty-six patients received an oral dosage of 50 mg/kg of aminocaproic acid every 4 hours for 5 days, up to a maximum of 30 g daily, and 56 patients received an oral dosage of 40 mg of prednisone daily (adjusted for weight) in two divided doses. Placebo pills and liquids were given to each patient to mask the treatment schedules. There were no statistically significant differences between the patient populations for any demographic or clinical characteristic (e.g., visual acuity, intraocular pressure [IOP], initial hyphema size) measured in the study. Blacks comprised 53% of the study population, and the mean age of the patients was 23.5 years. Four patients in each of the treatment groups experienced a secondary hemorrhage; the rebleed rate was 7.1% in each group.