[Hazards of thrombolysis. A clinical case]

Thrombolytic therapy has led to a reduction in early and late mortality in myocardial infarction but it is not without its dangers. Two cases are reported in which it was adopted inadvisedly considering that later pathologies other than acute myocardial infarction were demonstrated. A less aggressive attitude is advised for emergency thrombolysis (pending the arrival of more effective, safer drugs) in the more peripheral centres where possible complications may be more difficult to handle.