Comparison of urokinase and reteplase thrombolytic treatment in patients with high-risk pulmonary embolism

Thrombolytic treatment is recommended for patients with high-risk pulmonary embolism. The present study compared thrombolytic therapy with urokinase and reteplase. A total of 37 patients presenting with acute high-risk pulmonary embolism at the Intensive Care Unit of Weinan Central Hospital of Shaanxi Province (Weinan, China) between June 2013 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. According to their treatment, these subjects were assigned to the reteplase group (n=16) or the urokinase group (n=21). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were recorded prior to, and at 2, 4, 24 and 48 h after thrombolytic therapy. Complications, including bleeding, were closely monitored. Changes in blood gas analysis, troponin-T (TNT), pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) and D-dimer (D-D) were observed. In the reteplase and urokinase group, 11 and 13 cases exhibited marked improvement, treatment was rated as effective in 4 and 6 cases, and 1 and 2 mortalities occurred, resulting in an overall effective rate of 93.8 and 90.5%, respectively (P>0.05). In the reteplase group, one patient was unsuccessfully resuscitated and died. In the urokinase group, one patient died of gastric hemorrhage after 22 h of thrombolysis, while another patient died of brain failure resuscitation. The treatment improved the SBP in each of the two groups (P<0.05), and this outcome was similar between these two groups (P>0.05). HR and RR were similar prior to and after thrombolytic therapy (P>0.05). In contrast to the urokinase group, TNT was significantly decreased after thrombolyis compared with the baseline in the reteplase group. Complications in the reteplase group were higher, but in contrast to the urokinase group, no life-threatening bleeding occurred. Although reteplase is as effective as urokinase in treating high-risk pulmonary embolism, reteplase may reduce myocardial damage.