thrombolytic drugs
Blood clot. A clot, made up of red and white blood cells and platelets, bound together by strands of fibrin, has formed in a blood vessel, restricting blood flow.
After drug. The thrombolytic drug dissolves the fibrin strands that bind the blood clot together. The clot is broken down and normal blood flow resumes.
Thrombolytic drugs, sometimes called fibrinolytic drugs, are a group of drugs
used to treat acute myocardial infarction (heart
attack), and thrombosis and embolism in which a blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot. Thrombolytic drugs act
within blood vessels to dissolve clots. They are administered intravenously
and must be given as soon as possible after a clot has formed to be effective.
Possible side effects include abnormal bleeding and allergic reaction.
