[Errors and risks in perioperative thrombolysis therapy].

Abstract

Until recently, perioperative thrombolysis has always been thought to be a contraindication, because of the risk of bleeding complications. However, many case reports now show that thrombolytic drugs can be successfully used in the perioperative period. Possible indications for perioperative thrombolysis are massive pulmonary embolism and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which are also important causes of cardiac arrest. Thrombolysis can be the decisive therapeutical option, e.g. when normal cardiopulmonary resuscitation measures are not successful. Nevertheless, even against the background of many positive case reports the indication for perioperative thrombolysis should be a case-specific decision as the frequency of complications depends on the surgical intervention and must be weighed against the possible benefits of early thrombolysis. For perioperative thrombolysis there are no data available showing a beneficial effect of one particular therapeutic regimen. In the literature it is suggested that thrombolysis should be performed as quickly as possible, because the risk of bleeding complications depends more on the duration of thrombolysis than on the dosage or the thrombolytic drug itself.