Contents:
- Medical Video: The Chemistry of Clot-Busting Drugs to Treat a Myocardial Infarction
- Thrombolytic role in the treatment of cardiovascular disease
Medical Video: The Chemistry of Clot-Busting Drugs to Treat a Myocardial Infarction
Thrombolytic therapy is the use of drugs to destroy or dissolve blood clots, which are the main causes of heart attacks and strokes. Thrombolytic drugs have been approved for immediate treatment in cases of stroke and heart. The most commonly used drug for thrombolytic therapy is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), but other drugs can do the same.
You may have the chance to survive and recover better than some types of heart attack if you receive thrombolytic drugs within 12 hours after a heart attack.
Ideally, you should receive thrombolytic drugs in the first 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital for treatment.
Thrombolytic role in the treatment of cardiovascular disease
Blood clots can clog arteries leading to the heart. This can cause a heart attack, when a portion of the heart muscle dies due to lack of oxygen carried by the blood.
Thrombolytics works by dissolving large clumps quickly. This helps restart blood flow to the heart and helps prevent damage to the heart muscle. Thrombolytics can prevent a heart attack that should be fatal.
In some hospitals, doctors perform thrombolytic therapy in the ICU, but in other cases thrombolytics can be performed in the care unit that understands treatment and potential complications. Thrombolytic drugs can be given in two ways: through intravenous infusion, or through a long catheter directed at a clot through an artery or vein. In emergency cases, vascular surgeons often choose the intravenous method because it is faster and safer to do outside the hospital. If the doctor chooses to direct the catheter directly to the clot, the tip of the catheter can be placed on the vein towards the brain, lungs, heart, arms or legs depending on the location of the clot.
In almost all patients, the drug will restore blood flow to the heart. However, blood flow may not really return to normal and there may still be a little muscle damage. Additional therapy, such as cardiac catheterization or angioplasty may be needed.
Your health care provider will decide whether to give you thrombolytic drugs for a heart attack or not based on many factors. These factors include a history of chest pain and the results of the ECG test.
Other factors used to determine whether you are a good candidate for thrombolytics include:
- Age (elderly patients have a higher risk of complications)
- Gender
- Medical history (including history of heart attack, diabetes, low blood pressure, or increased heart rate)
Generally, thrombolytics will not be given if you have:
- Head injuries that have recently occurred
- Bleeding problem
- Bloody boil
- Pregnancy
- A recent operation
- Use blood thinners like Coumadin
- Trauma
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
If you notice any unusual symptoms after or during the procedure, you should notify your doctor immediately. If you receive thrombolytic therapy in an emergency, you may receive additional treatment for your condition. If you have a heart attack, your doctor may need to check your heart to see if there are other arteries that are blocked. If you have a blocked bypass graft, you may need further treatment or anticoagulants to keep the bypass open.
