When a blood clot causes an emergency like a stroke, heart attack, or pulmonary embolism, doctors use medicines to dissolve the clot as quickly as possible.
These clot-busting medicines are called thrombolytics.
They're used when someone has a life-threatening clot that blocks blood flow to their brain, heart, or lungs.
Here's how the medicines work ...
When blood flow is blocked, parts of your body can't get the oxygen that's in your blood.
So ... for example, if a clot blocks blood flow to part of your brain, tissue in that part of your brain can die because it doesn't get oxygen.
And that's how a stroke happens.
Or ... if blood can't get to your heart, heart tissue is damaged.
And that's what leads to a heart attack.
These clot-busting medicines are given quickly, in the hospital, to help blood flow normally again.
Now ... doctors give the medicine in a couple of ways.
Sometimes it's given through a special tube called a catheter that's placed inside the blood vessel.
And the medicine is delivered right to the clot.
But it's more common to get the medicine through a vein in your hand or arm.
You may hear this called an I.V.
And ... once the medicine gets to the clot, it breaks it up, and that lets blood flow normally again.
There is some risk to using these medicines because they can cause bleeding.
And that's why they're only used in the hospital.
A medical team is always nearby to watch for any problems from the medicine.
So ... now you know how these clot-busting medicines are used in emergencies
