What is thrombolytic therapy for myocardial infarction? Cardiology Basics

What is thrombolytic therapy for myocardial infarction? Cardiology Basics Thrombolytic therapy used to be an important mode of early treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Though it has been largely superseded by primary angioplasty, thrombolytic therapy may still be useful in certain situations. It is still an important form of treatment in resource limited locations. Myocardial infarction is usually due to sudden occlusion of a coronary artery by thrombus formation on a pre-existing partial obstruction by an atherosclerotic plaque. Plaque rupture with local thrombus formation is the usual mechanism.  Dissolving the thrombus soon after the occurrence of a myocardial infarction can salvage a lot of myocardium from ischemic damage. Myocardial infarction due to sudden coronary occlusion is Type 1 as per the universal definition of myocardial infarction. Thrombolytic therapy is most effective when given within the initial 3 hours of onset of symptoms. Beyond that, effectiveness decreases as the clot becomes firmer and more difficult to dissolve by thrombolytic agents. Still it may be considered as a reasonable option within the first 6-12 hours after onset of symptoms. When recurrent chest pain is present, it may be considered even beyond that, in rare cases. With the availability of coronary angioplasty, first preference is now given for angioplasty rather than clot dissolving treatment. Coronary angioplasty is the procedure of removing obstructions in coronary artery u...
Source: Cardiophile MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs