Thrombolysis

Thrombolysis is treatment that uses drugs to break down blood clots within blood vessels, restoring blood flow while risking serious bleeding.

Fibrinolysis: The enzymatic breakdown of fibrin, the protein mesh that stabilizes blood clots. Thrombolytic drugs accelerate this natural process to dismantle obstructing clots.
Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction: Drug treatment to dissolve a coronary artery clot during an acute myocardial infarction. It can restore coronary blood flow when timely primary angioplasty is unavailable.
Percutaneous coronary intervention: A procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, usually with balloon angioplasty and stenting. For many heart attacks, primary intervention is preferred over drug-based thrombolysis when promptly available.
Intracranial hemorrhage: Bleeding within the skull, including bleeding into brain tissue or surrounding spaces. It is the most feared serious bleeding complication of systemic thrombolysis.
Thrombosis: Formation of a blood clot within a blood vessel or heart chamber. Thrombolysis treats dangerous consequences of thrombosis by breaking down the obstructing clot.
Tissue plasminogen activator: An enzyme that converts plasminogen into plasmin, which degrades fibrin. Many thrombolytic drugs mimic or modify this enzyme to dissolve clots.
Intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke: Systemic clot-dissolving treatment for selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. Stroke treatment depends on rapid assessment of onset time, brain imaging, and bleeding risk.
Mechanical thrombectomy: A procedure that physically removes or disrupts a blood clot using specialized devices. It can restore flow without relying solely on medication to dissolve the clot.
Reperfusion injury: Tissue damage that can occur when blood flow returns after a period of ischemia. Restoring circulation may itself contribute to injury in previously oxygen-deprived tissue.
Hemostasis: The coordinated process that stops bleeding through vasoconstriction, platelet activity, and coagulation. Thrombolysis interferes with the clot-stabilizing side of the system that prevents blood loss.

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