Spontaneous pulmonary hemorrhage after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction

Chest. 1994 Nov;106(5):1622-4. doi: 10.1378/chest.106.5.1622.

Abstract

We report a case of 63-year-old man who developed massive pulmonary hemorrhage following intravenous streptokinase for acute myocardial infarction. Pulmonary hemorrhage was diagnosed by the triad of hemoptysis, a drop in hematocrit, and a new unilateral infiltrate on chest radiograph. This diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy findings. Pulmonary hemorrhage has rarely been reported following thrombolytic therapy. We believe that pulmonary hemorrhage is a rare but a potentially life-threatening complication of thrombolytic therapy and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates or falling hemoglobin after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction with no obvious site of bleeding.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Epistaxis / chemically induced
  • Epistaxis / pathology
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Hemorrhage / chemically induced*
  • Hemorrhage / pathology
  • Humans
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Lung Diseases / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / complications*
  • Myocardial Infarction / drug therapy
  • Myocardial Infarction / pathology
  • Streptokinase / administration & dosage
  • Streptokinase / adverse effects*
  • Thrombolytic Therapy / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Streptokinase