Expanding the discussion on fibrinolytic contraindications

Abstract

The European Resuscitation Council Guidelines recommend the administration of fibrinolytic therapy when acute pulmonary embolism is a known or suspected cause of cardiac arrest. However, contraindications that limit the use of fibrinolytics are sometimes challenged by clinicians, including head trauma in the previous three weeks. We report on the successful use of rescue fibrinolytic therapy on a patient with acute head trauma who had a cardiac arrest in the emergency department as a result of a pulmonary embolism (PE). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of successful fibrinolytic therapy for a patient with acute head trauma in the literature.

Keywords

• Thrombolytic Therapy
• Fibrinolytic Agents
• Pulmonary Embolism
• embolism

References

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