Adjunctive Medications in Patients Receiving Thrombolytic Therapy: A Multicenter Prospective Assessment

OBJECTIVE:To describe the use of adjunctive therapies in patients with acute myocardial infarction receiving thrombolytic agents.DESIGN:Data were collected prospectively by the study-site investigator or the emergency department physician caring for the patient. Study participation did not influence thrombolytic regimen selection or the adjunctive therapies ordered.SETTING:Thirteen Virginia hospitals representing a cross-section of hospitals in the state. Eleven are urban medical centers; four have graduate medical education programs.PARTICIPANTS:Patients were included in the study if the decision to administer thrombolytic therapy was made in the emergency department.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Concomitant medications administered during the first six hours after initiation of thrombolytic therapy.RESULTS:Two hundred ten patients (aged 57 ± 14.1 y) were evaluated. Ninety-five percent of these patients were treated with tissue plasminogen activator, 3 percent received anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activ...