Thrombolytic agents in critical care.

Thrombolytic therapy, when instituted early in optimum dosage, has had an important role in improving the survival of critically ill patients. Thrombolysis is but one component of the processes associated with hemostasis, the mechanism by which humans are protected from death by hemorrhage following injury to a blood vessel. The natural process of thrombolysis is mediated by plasmin, the primary protein responsible for clot lysis. Recent studies have established the efficacy of the intravenous administration of thrombolytic agents in decreasing mortality and improving patient outcome.