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Thrombolysis, also known as thrombolytic therapy, is a treatment to dissolve harmful clots in blood vessels, improve blood flow, and prevent tissue and organ damage. Thrombolytic therapy can involve injecting clot-busting drugs through an intravenous (IV) line or through a long catheter that delivers the drug directly to the site of the blockage. This treatment may also involve using a long catheter with a mechanical device attached to the end, to either remove or break the blood clot.
Thrombolytic therapy is often used as an emergency treatment to dissolve blood clots that form in the arteries that feed the heart and brain, which are the main cause of heart attacks and ischemic strokes and in the pulmonary arteries (acute pulmonary embolism).
Thrombolysis agents include:
- Eminase (anistreplase)
- Retavase (reteplase)
- Streptase (streptokinase, kabikinase)
- T-PA (a class of drugs that belong to Activase)
- TNKase (tenecteplase)
- Abbokinase, Kinlytic (rocinase).
If the blood clot is life threatening, thrombolytic therapy may be an option if started as soon as possible. Ideally it is taken within one to two hours after the onset of symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism (if a diagnosis has been made).
How does thrombolytic therapy treat stroke?
If the stroke was caused by a blood clot, this can be treated with clot-busting drugs which will break the clot and restore the blood supply to your brain.
The drug itself is called alteplase or recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). This drug administration process is known as thrombolytic therapy.
Thrombolytics work by rapidly dissolving blood clots, helping to return blood to the heart and helping prevent damage to the heart muscle. Thrombolytics can prevent deadly heart attacks.
Thrombolytics are not given to someone who has had a bleeding stroke (bleeding in the brain) because they can worsen the stroke by causing increased bleeding.
Thrombolytic therapy is not always successful, only one in seven people benefit from this treatment. There is also a risk that thrombolytic therapy could cause dangerous bleeding in your brain. This occurs in about 7% of cases.
How to use thrombolytic therapy to treat stroke
Thrombolytic therapy has been shown to have many benefits in patients with acute ischemic cerebral palsy. For most people, thrombolytic therapy needs to be given at least four and a half hours after your stroke symptoms appear. In some circumstances, the doctor may decide that this treatment can still be beneficial within six hours. However, the more time that passes, the less effective thrombolytic therapy will be. This is why it is so important to check with the hospital immediately when symptoms appear.
