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Query: UMLS:C0008031 (chest pain)
 17,248 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Intravenous thrombolytic therapy improves left ventricular function and reduces mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In European and Middle Eastern trials, prehospital delivery of thrombolytic agents by physician-directed mobile intensive care units has been successful. This report describes two independently conceived and performed trials that used cellular telephone transmission of 12-lead ECGs to deliver recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) in the field to patients with AMI. In the Nashville Prehospital TPA Trial, 85 patients with chest pain were evaluated in the field for possible administration of r-tPA over a 6-month period. Three of 85 patients (3.5%) were found to be actual candidates for r-tPA treatment in the field. In phase II (dry-run phase) of the Cincinnati Heart Project, 374 patients were evaluated in the field with 14 documented cases of AMI (3.7%) before r-tPA was placed in ambulances for administration by paramedics. In phase III (active with r-TPA in ambulances), over a 1-year period 103 patients were evaluated with six (5.8%) documented cases of AMI. Three of five r-tPA field treatment decisions by emergency physicians using transmitted 12-lead ECGs were accurate (60%). When patients in phases II and III were combined, only 20 of 477 total patients (4.2%) were documented to have AMI. A decline in paramedic skills was noted because of the infrequent administration of the thrombolytic agent. Combining the Nashville and Cincinnati experiences, only 27 of 562 total patients with chest pain (4.8%) were candidates for prehospital thrombolysis. We conclude that few patients evaluated in the prehospital setting are actual candidates for thrombolytic therapy. Substantial allocation of financial and human resources for prehospital delivery of intravenous thrombolytic therapy does not appear warranted.
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PMID:Prehospital diagnosis and treatment of acute myocardial infarction: a north-south perspective. The Cincinnati Heart Project and the Nashville Prehospital TPA Trial. 189 78

Thrombolytic agents administered intravenously have been shown to have a salutary effect in the early management of acute myocardial infarction. However, a debate still is pending over the definite choice of an ideal thrombolytic agent. In our 83-bed community hospital, from January 1986 to September 1988, we treated 19 patients (n = 19) with acute myocardial infarction (average one patient every six weeks) with either intravenous streptokinase (IV STK) or intravenous tissue plasminogen (IV TPA) with a mean follow-up of 20.2 months. We compared both groups in terms of clinical reperfusion, morbidity and mortality, cost-effectiveness and long-term functional disability. Our results showed that most patients received their respective agents within four hours of the onset of chest pain (81% in the STK group, n = 11, versus 75% of the tPA group, n = 8). In the STK group, 90.9% showed clinical evidence of reperfusion compared to 87.5% in the TPA one, the difference not being statistically significant. Two patients in the STK group developed a treatable bradycardia, and one showed a junctional rhythm that was corrected. One patient in the TPA subset encountered a reversible ventricular tachycardia. However, we didn't note any bleeding complication in either group.
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PMID:Thrombolytic therapy in acute coronary thrombosis. 211 80

We have described a woman with pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) who had acute dyspnea, chest pain, and hypotension during adequate heparin therapy. Pulmonary angiography was consistent with recurrent PTE. The patient was given intravenous TPA and showed significant improvement. Repeat angiography showed resolution of the thrombus in the right main pulmonary artery. The patient did not require vena cava interruption.
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PMID:Tissue plasminogen activator as an alternative to vena cava interruption in recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism. 212 25

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a rare and potentially fatal disease. The classic presentation is sudden and severe pain in the chest, back, or abdomen, described as tearing or ripping pain radiating to the interscapular region. Cerebral ischemic complications occur in 18-30% of aortic dissections and patients may present to the emergency department (ED) with isolated focal neurology and no chest pain. In AAD patients, presenting with stroke and subsequently thrombolized, a 71% mortality rate has been reported in patients receiving recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA). We present a case of a 58-year-old male patient that presented to ED with sudden onset of headache and left-sided hemiparesis, computed tomography (CT) demonstrated an ischemic stroke of the right middle cerebral artery. When the question of whether to start r-TPA or mechanical thrombectomy was discussed, a cardiac point-of-care ultrasound was performed in ED and showed a type A aortic dissection; immediately a CT aortic angiogram was performed and confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was taken to theater and had a favorable outcome. <Learning objective: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) may present as acute ischemic stroke with no chest pain. In patients with acute ischemic stroke with an unclear etiology point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), cardiac, and aortic ultrasound are important rapidly to diagnose AAD and avoid the deleterious effect of thrombolysis. This case supports the feasibility of emergency physicians performing POCUS assessments for AAD.>.
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PMID:Acute ischemic stroke what is hidden behind? 3027 28