Background: Thrombolytic agents such as urokinase have been used in the treatment of patients with massive pulmonary embolism and hypotension, but their effect in patients with submassive pulmonary embolism and normal blood pressure has been controversial.
Material/Methods: Urokinase (20,000 IU /kg) was intravenously administered to 36 patients who had pulmonary embolism and a normal blood pressure. This was followed by subcutaneous injection of a low-molecular- weight heparin for a week.
Results: Improvement in clinical symptoms and reduction in pulmonary pressure was observed in 28 (77.8%) patients within the fi rst week of the thrombolytic therapy. The improvement rate in patients with embolic symptoms of less than 14 days, and in those who had symptoms between 14 and 30 days before the thrombolytic therapy was 86% and 50%, respectively (p

Keywords: Blood Pressure - drug effects, Heart Rate - drug effects, Pulmonary Embolism - drug therapy, Thrombolytic Therapy, Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - therapeutic use