What is thrombolytic therapy?

Thrombolytics are medicines that rapidly dissolve a blood clot. They are used when a blood clot causes an emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke. These clot-busting medicines help blood to flow normally again.

Thrombolytics are used as soon as possible after a heart attack or stroke. These medicines are used in the hospital. They are typically given through a vein in the hand or arm. One example of this medicine is tissue plasminogen activator (TPA).

These medicines can greatly increase the risk of bleeding, so they are used only in very specific situations where the risk of bleeding can be balanced against the risks of not dissolving the blood clot rapidly.

When a blood clot moves to a blood vessel in the brain, it blocks blood flow to that area and causes a stroke. Without blood and the oxygen it carries, that part of the brain starts to die. If blood supply isn't restored, permanent damage usually occurs. The body parts controlled by those damaged cells can't work, or function, as they should. This loss of function may be mild or severe. It may be short-term or lifelong.

Thrombolytic treatment can improve recovery from a stroke. Doctors try to give it as soon as possible after the stroke happens. It can limit brain damage from a stroke by dissolving the blood clot. Without medicine to dissolve it, a blood clot in your brain is more likely to cause serious brain damage.

In general, the less damage there is to the brain tissue, the less disability a stroke causes. And with less damage to brain tissue, you are more likely to recover from the stroke.

No treatment can guarantee a full recovery from a stroke. But this medicine does improve your chances of having less or no disability after a stroke.

This medicine greatly increases the risk of bleeding throughout your body. Bleeding is serious when it happens anywhere inside your body. It is even more serious if it happens in or around your brain.

Thrombolytics are medicines that dissolve blood clots fast. Blood clots cause pulmonary embolisms.

Pulmonary embolism is the sudden blockage of an artery in the lung. The blockage is most often caused by a blood clot. In most cases, the clots are small and are not deadly, but they can damage the lung. If the clot is large and stops blood flow to the lung, it can be fatal. Quick treatment could save your life or reduce the risk of future problems.

Your doctor will explain your treatment options based on your condition. Your options may include medicines that stop the clot from getting bigger.

When your doctor tells you that thrombolytic treatment is a choice for you, it's because he or she believes that it offers you the best chance of recovery from stroke. But because this medicine also has risks, it is up to you to choose it or not.

Based on your condition, your doctor will explain what other choices you have for treatment. They may include other medicines that stop the clot from getting bigger.

With or without thrombolytic treatment, you will have care to help you get better. And you'll have medicine to prevent blood clots and control symptoms.

Having a stroke can make it hard to make quick and complex decisions. Feeling afraid or anxious can make it even harder to think clearly. Your hospital staff understands this. They will explain your choices and answer your questions. And they will help you decide about your treatment.

This treatment is done while you are in the hospital.

The medicine may be given through a vein in your hand or arm. It travels through the bloodstream to the clot.

Sometimes the doctor inserts a thin tube called a catheter through your skin into a blood vessel. The doctor moves the catheter through the blood vessel to the site of the clot. The catheter delivers the medicine to the clot.

You'll be closely watched for some time after you get the treatment to make sure there is no internal bleeding.