Early clinical evaluation of the intravenous treatment of acute myocardial infarction with anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex.

50 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction and symptoms of less than 4 hours duration were treated with anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (APSAC) 30U intravenously as a bolus injection over 5 minutes. An open infarct-related artery was found in 32 patients (64%) when the first coronary angiography was taken 66 +/- 21 minutes after APSAC. Complete reperfusion was subsequently seen in 10 of 18 patients with an occluded infarct-related artery 74 +/- 16 minutes after injection of APSAC. Thus, a patient infarct-related artery was seen in 42 patients (84%) within 68 +/- 20 minutes. A control coronary angiography was performed in 37 patients (74%) after 25 +/- 19 days. Reocclusion was found in 5 patients. The minimal cross-sectional area of the residual coronary stenosis increased from 1.3 +/- 0.9 mm2 to 1.8 +/- 1.9 mm2. Patients with residual thrombi after coronary thrombolysis (n = 13) demonstrated an increase of the minimal cross-sectional area of the residual stenosis from 1.2 +/- 0.8 to 2.6 +/- 2.3 mm2, whereas those without residual thrombi showed only minor changes of the minimal cross-sectional area (1.3 +/- 0.9 to 1.2 +/- 1.2 mm2). Thus, APSAC demonstrated a high patency rate and a low reocclusion rate after intravenous administration. The prolonged fibrinolytic activity of APSAC leads to a further regression of the residual coronary stenosis among patients with coronary thrombi after reperfusion.