title: Local and systemic thrombolytic therapy for acute venous thromboembolism.
abstract: Thrombolytic therapy unquestionably leads to more rapid and complete clot lysis with a significantly higher risk of bleeding when compared with anticoagulation. The most definite indication for thrombolytic therapy in patients with VTE is massive PE associated with hemodynamic instability. Other potential indications, although not widely accepted or proven, include PE-related respiratory failure with severe hypoxemia and massive iliofemoral thrombosis with the risk of phlegmasia cerulea dolens. Routine use of thrombolytic therapy in all other cases of PE and DVT cannot be justified. Future research using randomized controlled studies should focus on the following key questions: Do hemodynamically stable patients with PE and right ventricular dysfunction benefit from thrombolysis, and, if so, is there a subset of patients within this group who are most likely to benefit? Does thrombolytic therapy improve long-term outcomes of DVT with a favorable risk-to-benefit ratio, and, if so, which patients are most likely to benefit long-term? What is the precise role of catheter-directed thrombolysis in the treatment of VTE, particularly the use of a low-dose thrombolytic agent in conjunction with mechanical clot disruption to minimize bleeding in patients at high risk? Until these questions are answered, clinicians must approach decision-making regarding the use of thrombolytic therapy in PE and DVT with careful consideration of the potential risks and benefits for the patient within the framework of currently available data.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Lung Transplantation Program, New York Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia, Cornell University, New York, NY 10032, USA. sa2059@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Selim M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arcasoy
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vachani
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D006493:Heparin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D006493:Heparin