Antifibrinolytic therapy in subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by ruptured intracranial aneurysm.

There are 25 published studies on the treatment with antifibrinolytic agents of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Twelve of these studies were uncontrolled and, except for one, all reported reduced incidence of rebleeding. Of 13 controlled studies, 9 were randomized, and 3 were also double-blind. In 7, reported decrease in rebleeding was reported, but only 4 showed decreased mortality. Three studies showed no effect, and three reported a higher incidence of rebleeding in treated patients. Discrepancies may be due to the multiple clinical variables of SAH and to flaws in methodology; nevertheless, the data fail to demonstrate that antifibrinolytic therapy alters the natural history of the disease.