Systemic effects of anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex and streptokinase therapy in acute myocardial infarction. Coagulation aspects of the Dutch Invasive Reperfusion Study.

The systemic effects of intravenous anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (APSAC; 30U) and intracoronary streptokinase (250,000U) were compared in 54 patients with acute myocardial infarction. In 3 patients, no signs of a systemic lytic state were observed. In all other patients, significant reductions of coagulation and fibrinolytic factors occurred: fibrinogen levels decreased by 86% in the APSAC group and 81% in the streptokinase group; for plasminogen the decreases were 68 and 66%, and for alpha 2-antiplasmin activity greater than 95 and 94%, respectively. Fibrin(ogen) degradation products were increased 68- and 38-fold, respectively. Although there was a trend for the lytic state to be more profound in the APSAC-treated patients, there was no difference between treatment groups with regard to bleeding complications or therapeutic efficacy, the latter being 79 and 73%, respectively, for APSAC and streptokinase. Total fibrinolytic activity, measured as euglobulin clot lysis time, was sustained for longer in the APSAC group, which may explain the low reocclusion rate in this group in comparison with the streptokinase group.

Vascular dynamics in the descending aorta of the human fetus in normal late pregnancy.

Fetal blood flow velocity and diameter changes in the lower thoracic part of the descending aorta were compared in twenty normal pregnancies between the gestational age of 30 and 41 weeks. The mean blood flow velocity remained constant throughout the study period whereas a significant increase in vessel diameter was observed. The significant increase in aortic stroke volume and blood flow was in correlation with this diameter change.