title: Recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in acute myocardial infarction in the Chinese in Hong Kong.
abstract: Eighty-nine consecutive Chinese patients (69 males, 20 females) with acute myocardial infarction treated by 100 mg recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) (7 intracoronarily, 82 intravenously) at 3.7 +/- 1.0 hours after onset, and intravenous heparin or dipyridamole therapy started at 3 hours, were studied prospectively. Their mean age was 59.6 +/- 10.6 years. Forty-six patients (51.7%) had anterior and 39 patients (43.8%) had inferior infarcts. Clinical evidence of reperfusion was seen in 63 patients (72.8%), while new complications included hypotension (5.6%), heart failure (6.7%), cardiac arrhythmias (76.4%), hematoma around vascular access sites (23.6%), melena (2.2%) and cerebral infarction (2.2%). Maximal changes in coagulation profiles were seen at 3 hours, including a decrease in fibrinogen (by 64.2%), an increase in FDP by 11.7 times and D-dimers by 4.4 times. Nine patients (10.1%) had recurrence of angina and 6 patients (6.9%) died due to pump failure (5) and reinfarction (1). Angiogram at 14 days confirmed TIMI (2 or 3) patency of infarct related arteries in 62/81 (76.5%) patients, with a mean global ejection fraction of 52.5 +/- 12.4%. Nearly all survivors could maintain class I-II functional status after discharge. The safety and promises of rt-PA for acute myocardial infarction in the Chinese were confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004176:Dipyridamole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004176:Dipyridamole; D006493:Heparin; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator