RESOLUTION OF ACUTE MASSIVE PULMONARY EMBOLISM AFTER PULMONARY ARTERIAL INFUSION OF STREPTOKINASE

Two patients who had acute massive pulmonary embolism were treated with continuous streptokinase infusions into the pulmonary artery. Systemic fibrinolytic activity was carefully monitored, and the thrombolytic effect was assessed by serial pulmonary angiography and by hæmodynamic and lung function measurements. One patient was treated initially with heparin but failed to show objective evidence of improvement and was subsequently treated with streptokinase. Both patients recovered, and their post streptokinase pulmonary angiograms, and their hæmodynamic and lung function measurements showed pronounced improvement. The results suggest that thrombolytic therapy should prove valuable in the management of acute massive pulmonary embolism.