[Complications of thrombolytic treatment of acute myocardial infarction]

In a retrospective study twenty-one Danish medical departments recorded the number of serious adverse events in patients who had acute myocardial infarction and according to local routine received thrombolytic therapy. Of 278 patients who were given streptokinase 1.5 million IU intravenously in 1 hour, 37 had falls in blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg; two had haemorrhage which required transfusion; one was temporarily disabled after paravenous infusion of streptokinase and one had a fatal intracerebral haemorrhage. Three patients developed stroke of unknown cause. The randomised prospective studies from recent years have shown similar complication rates. Nine patients who had thrombolytic therapy but were subsequently shown not to have acute ischaemic heart disease had no adverse events.