Definition

Noun: - A medical treatment to dissolve dangerous blood clots: Thrombolytic therapy is a specific type of treatment that involves giving a patient a drug (a thrombolytic agent) designed to break down (lyse) an abnormal, obstructive blood clot (thrombus) within a blood vessel.

Usage

This term is used exclusively in a medical context to describe an emergency or urgent treatment for conditions caused by blood clots, such as heart attacks, certain types of strokes, or pulmonary embolisms. - The decision to administer thrombolytic therapy must be made quickly after symptom onset. - Thrombolytic therapy carries a risk of serious bleeding as a side effect.

Examples

• The patient was rushed to the emergency room and immediately received for his acute myocardial infarction.
• The effectiveness of for ischemic stroke depends on how soon it is given after the first symptoms appear.
• Doctors considered to dissolve the large clot in her lung.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a candidate for thrombolytic therapy": to meet the specific medical criteria required to receive this treatment safely and effectively.
  • After reviewing the CT scan, the neurologist determined the patient was a candidate for thrombolytic therapy.

Variants and Related Words

• Thrombolysis (n): The process of breaking down a blood clot. Thrombolytic therapy aims to achieve thrombolysis.
• Thrombolytic (adj/n): (Adjective) Describing something that causes clot dissolution. (Noun) A synonym for the pharmacological agent used in the therapy (e.g., "The doctor administered a thrombolytic.").
• Fibrinolytic therapy: A closely related term sometimes used interchangeably, though it specifically refers to drugs that break down fibrin, a key component of clots.

Synonyms

• Clot-busting therapy: An informal, descriptive synonym often used in patient communication.
• Fibrinolytic therapy (in many contexts).

Related Medical Terms (Not Synonyms)

• Anticoagulant therapy: A different type of treatment that new clots from forming but does not dissolve existing ones.
• Thrombectomy: A mechanical procedure to a clot, as opposed to dissolving it with drugs.

Noun

1. therapy consisting of the administration of a pharmacological agent to cause thrombolysis of an abnormal blood clot