Percutaneous local arterial thrombolytic infusion. Therapeutic effects and complications.

All complications occurring in 55 local thrombolytic infusions performed for (sub)acute limb ischemia using streptokinase (SK) in 22 procedures and urokinase (UK) in 33 procedures were recorded. Success was achieved in 74.5% of the procedures. Major complications occurred in 31.8% of the procedures using SK, and in 12.1% of the procedures using UK (p = 0.07). Hemorrhage was the most common major complication and occurred in 27.2% of SK procedures and in 9.0% of UK procedures, a difference which was not significant. Overall, 30 day mortality was 16.3% and procedure-related death was 1.8%. Moderate complications necessitating only the adjustment of drug regimen and minor complications without consequence were observed in 45.5% and 45.5%, respectively, of the SK procedures, and in 57.6% and 66.7% of the UK procedures.