Fibrinolysin Therapy of Thromboembolism: Three Years' Experience

The substantial morbidity and mortality attending thromboembolic phenomena accent the necessity for more effective therapy in such diseases.’-’ Although treatment with anticoagulants has significantly reduced the mortality of thromboembolism,4-s most methods of prophylaxis have been inadequate.&dquo;> 12 Prompt recognition of symptoms suggestive of thromboembolism, with the immediate institution of anticoagulant therapy, has been the only deterrent of this dreaded complication.8-lo Thromboembolic manifestations implicating the coronary, cerebral and peripheral arterial systems are being recognized with increasing frequency. Pulmonary embolism, since the advent of antibiotics, has become the most common respiratory disease encountered in general hospitals.2 Progress in vascular surgery has been impeded by thrombotic difficulties. Intraocular vascular phenomena have been particularly irreversible because of the inaccessibility of the involved area and the frequently advanced stage of the disease before recognition. Recent experience suggests fibrinolysin may occasion the thrombolysis of early thromboembolic complications. Fibrinolytic enzymes, used in conjunction with suitable anticoagulant therapy, offer a more rational and convenient mode of treatment. Absolute clot lysis, the ultimate approach to such diseases, may now be feasible.