Long-Term Antiarrhythmic Effects of Thrombolytic Therapy in Pulmonary Embolism.
BACKGROUND
The role of thrombolytic therapy in acute pulmonary embolism patients is still controversial considering the occurrence of arrhythmias. Short-term effects of thrombolytics are well-known whereas long-term effects on cardiac electrophysiology have not been reported before. The objective of our study was to assess the arrhythmic differences in pulmonary embolism patients who received thrombolytics followed by anticoagulation or anticoagulation alone.


METHODS
Sixty patients who received thrombolytic therapy followed by anticoagulation (group 1) and 60 patients who received anticoagulation alone (group 2) were included in this retrospective, single-centre observational study. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiography was performed 31 ± 9 months after pulmonary embolism hospitalisation in order to compare arrhythmias originating from both ventricles and atria.


RESULTS
The age and gender distribution of the patients were statistically similar. Ventricular arrhythmias were found to be the same between t-PA and non t-PA groups. All types of atrial arrhythmias were found to be increased in non t-PA group even though left and right atrial volume indexes were statistically identical between the two groups.


CONCLUSION
In long-term pulmonary embolism, follow-up thrombolytic therapy was demonstrated to have atrial antiarrhythmic effects.
['Hayıroğlu|Mert İlker|Mİ|', 'Keskin|Muhammed|M|', 'Uzun|Ahmet Okan|AO|', 'Tekkeşin|Ahmet İlker|Aİ|', 'Avşar|Şahin|Ş|', 'Öz|Ahmet|A|', 'Yıldırımtürk|Özlem|Ö|', 'Güngör|Barış|B|', 'Çinier|Göksel|G|', 'Alper|Ahmet Taha|AT|']
D000208:Acute Disease D000368:Aged D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory D005260:Female D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006339:Heart Rate D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D011655:Pulmonary Embolism D012189:Retrospective Studies D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy D013997:Time Factors D016896:Treatment Outcome
Thrombolytic Pulmonary embolism Arrhythmia Anticoagulation Ambulatory electrocardiography