Tuberc Respir Dis.  2009 Jan;66(1):6-12.

The Therapeutic Efficacy and the Bleeding Complications of Urokinase and Alteplase in Patients with Massive Pulmonary Thromboembolism

• Yoo JW
• Kim W
• Choi CM
• Hong SB
• Oh YM
• Shim TS
• Lim CM
• Lee SD
• Kim WS
• Kim DS
• Kim WD
• Koh Y

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The efficacy of several thrombolytic agents for treating massive pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) has been reported to be similar. However, the difference of the bleeding complications caused by two commonly used thrombolytic agents in PTE patients is not well known. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy and the bleeding complications between urokinase and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activatior(rt-PA, alteplase) in a Korean medical center.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of the patients who were treated with thrombolytic agents(urokinase and alteplase) because of massive PTE.
RESULTS
A total of 40 patients were included: 16 (40%) treated with urokinase and 24 (60%) with alteplase. The patients treated with alteplase showed a shorter duration of using vasopressor agents than did the patients who were given urokinase, but the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of the ICU stay and the hospital stay were not different between the thrombolytic agents. Five patients treated with urokinase and eight patients treated with alteplase died (p=0.565): One patient in the urokinase group and four patients in the alteplase group died due to pulmonary thromboembolism. Bleeding complications after thrombolysis were observed in 3 patients(7.5%) treated with urokinase and in 11 (27.5%) patients treated with alteplase (p=0.079). Major bleeding complication occurred in 2 patients who were treated with alteplase.
CONCLUSION
Urokinase seems to have fewer bleeding complications with an equivalent efficacy, as compared to alteplase, in Korean patients who suffer with massive pulmonary thromboembolism.

Keyword

Pulmonary thromboembolism; Thrombolysis; Bleeding complication

MeSH Terms

Fibrinolytic Agents
Hemorrhage
Humans
Length of Stay
Plasminogen
Pulmonary Embolism
Respiration, Artificial
Retrospective Studies
Tissue Plasminogen Activator
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
Vasoconstrictor Agents
Fibrinolytic Agents
Plasminogen
Tissue Plasminogen Activator
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
Vasoconstrictor Agents

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