Modern Strategies for Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction: Significance of Haemostaseological and Rheological Findings

In spite of equivalent clinical efficacy of various thrombolytic agents for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction there is evidence of different drug-depending influences on the haemostatic and fibrinolytic system. In the present study 40 patients with acute myocardial infarction have been investigated. 20 patients received 750,000 and 1.5 mio U streptokinase (SK), respectively, 10 patients 30 mg anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (BRL 26921) and 10 patients a combination of 200,000 U urokinase (UK) and 4.5 mio U pro-urokinase (PUK) as a short-term intravenous treatment. Reperfusion of coronary arteries has been achieved in 70 to 100 percent. Major not fatal bleedings occurred in 2 patients. One patient died within 72 hours after beginning of the myocardial infarction. The longest duration of fibrinolytic activity was observed in the BRL 26921 group (half-disappearance time close to 2 h). It was significantly shorter in the SK groups showing a dose-dependency. Plasma concentration of fibrinogen dropped beyond normal levels following SK and BRL 26921, but not under UK/PUK. Plasma viscosity correlated with fibrinogen decrease and displayed a dose-depending relationship with the presence of SK. Haemorheological effects are suggested to be important for the clinical efficacy of thrombolytic therapy in myocardial infarction.