Abstract

Last year we reviewed the status of fibrinolytic therapy (thrombolysis) in the early treatment of myocardial infarction (MI).¹ Thrombolysis can reopen the occluded coronary artery, reduce infarct size and improve prognosis. It is, therefore, recommended as routine treatment for most patients admitted to hospital early after MI. Two further large studies of intravenous fibrinolytic therapy have recently confirmed this policy. The results also clarify which categories of patient benefit.