Effect of Intravenous Streptokinase on Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Intracoronary infusion of streptokinase in patients with acute myocardial infarction is an exciting and innovative technique for reperfusion of the ischemic myocardium,1 2 3 4 but its net benefits have not yet been reliably estimated.Intravenous infusion of streptokinase is less invasive, less expensive, and easier than intracoronary infusion, and its effects have already been studied in randomized trials. Inevitably, when several trials address the same or a similar question, they are unlikely to yield identical results, and in these circumstances an overview of the results of all the strictly randomized trials can be useful.5 6 7 Although the play of chance may well produce . . .