Diseases where<unk>  is used: * ST elevation myocardial infarction: Large trials have shown that mortality can be reduced using<unk>  (particularly fibrinolysis) in treating heart attacks. It works by stimulating secondary fibrinolysis by plasmin through infusion of analogs of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the protein that normally activates plasmin. * Stroke:<unk>  reduces major disability or death when given within 3 hours (or perhaps even 6 hours) of ischaemic stroke onset when there are no contraindications to treatment. * Massive pulmonary embolism. For the treatment of a massive pulmonary embolism, catheter-directed therapy is a safer and more effective alternative to systemic<unk> . This involves the injecting of drugs directly into the clot. * Severe deep vein thrombosis (DVT), such as phlegmasia cerulea dolens, which threatens limb loss, or iliofemoral DVT, where clots involve at a minimum the common iliac vein * Acute limb ischaemia * Clotted hemothorax Apart from streptokinase, all thrombolytic drugs are administered together with heparin (unfractionated or low molecular weight heparin), usually for 24 to 48 hours.<unk>  is usually intravenous. It may also be used directly into the affected blood vessel during an angiogram (intra-arterial<unk> , e.g. when patients present with stroke beyond three hours or in severe deep vein thrombosis (catheter-directed<unk> .<unk>  is performed by many types of medical specialists, including interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, interventional neuroradiologists, and neurosurgeons. In some countries such as the United States of America, emergency medical technicians may administer thrombolytics for heart attacks in prehospital settings, by on-line medical direction. In countries with more extensive and independent qualifications, prehospital<unk>  (fibrinolysis) may be initiated by the emergency care practitioner (ECP). Other countries which employ ECP's include, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Prehospital<unk>  is always the result of a risk-benefit calculation of the heart attack,<unk>  risks, and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) availability.
Thrombolysis
Fibrinolysis
Argon plasma coagulation
Thrombectomy
Low-molecular-weight heparin
Autotransfusionist
Plasminogen activator
Plasma coblation