Thrombolysis following pre-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Forty-eight patients were discharged from hospital following successful resuscitation from out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation. Sixteen of these patients received intravenous thrombolytic therapy on admission to hospital. There were 3 significant bleeding complications and 2 cases of inappropriate administration of streptokinase. One of the patients that did not receive thrombolysis also had a significant bleeding complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Patients admitted to hospital following resuscitation should only receive thrombolytic therapy when there is overwhelming electrocardiographic evidence of acute myocardial infarction, and even then with caution.