ABSTRACT
Every year almost 1 million Americans suffer an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and 225,000 of these patients have a fatal outcome (1). Thrombolytic therapy (TT) is a very effective treatment for AMI, especially if these patients can be identified early. It reduces mortality and establishes early coronary artery patency, limits myocardial damage, and improves left ventricular (LV) systolic function. However, TT is not without limitations. Only 60-80% of patients achieve patency of the infarct-related artery (IRA) within 90 minutes of the initiation of treatment. TIMI 3 flow is established in only 30-55% of patients, and 13% of patients may experience early reocclusion of the culprit artery (2-4). In addition, there is a significant risk of stroke and bleeding with TT (5,6).
