Abstract
Extracted from text ... Early lytic treatment of massive pulmonary embolism. Administering the clotdissolving drug alteplase (Actilyse (r) Boehringer Ingelheim) early in the course of massive
pulmonary embolism prevents worsening of the disease, a new clinical trial has shown. Patients who benefited from the treatment had signs of rightheart strain at presentation (their hearts were
labouring to function despite the presence of emboli or clots obstructing the pulmonary arteries), but appeared haemodynamically stable (that is, they had normal blood pressure). Previously, it
was believed that thrombolytic therapy should be reserved for sicker patients those whose rightheart strain had progressed to cardiogenic shock or other ..
