title: Antifibrinolytic therapy in the management of aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage revisited. A meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To reassess the use of antifibrinolytics (AF) in the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in the setting of present-day treatment strategies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis. They reviewed the PubMed database and conducted a manual review of article bibliographies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a pre-specified search strategy, 17 relevant studies involving a total of 2,872 patients with SAH at baseline, from which data of 1,380 patients having received AF, were included in a meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios of the impact of AF on functional outcomes, rebleeding, and cerebral infarction were calculated. Short-term use of AF (72 h or less) associated with medical prevention of ischemic deficit seems to yield better results on functional outcome than long-term use of AF, especially if not associated with a medical prevention of ischemic deficit. The risk of cerebral infarction is not increased by the short-term use of AF and the risk of rebleeding is decreased independently of the length of AF use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of AF should be reconsidered in the setting of modern-era treatment strategies, as the short-term use associated with medical prevention of ischemic deficit decreases the rate of rebleeding and does not increase the risk of cerebral infarction, thus potentially yielding better protection against poor functional outcome.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Caen, Faculty of Medicine, France. thomas.gaberel@hotmail.fr
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Gaberel
authors: Cristian
authors: C
authors: Magheru
authors: Evelyne
authors: E
authors: Emery
authors: Jean-Michel
authors: JM
authors: Derlon
mesh_terms: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006487:Hemostasis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents