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Short answer Starting alteplase: what to know Common questions Related questions Sources**Alteplase injection is a clot-dissolving medicine given in a hospital to treat acute ischemic stroke, heart attack, and large pulmonary embolism, and at a much smaller dose to clear a blocked central venous catheter.**
Which use applies to you depends on what kind of clot is involved and how much time has passed. In ischemic stroke, alteplase works best when it starts within a few hours of the first symptom, which is why getting to an emergency department fast changes what treatment is possible. It is never a pill or a home injection, and it is not used for bleeding strokes, so a brain scan comes first. Because alteplase breaks down clots everywhere, bleeding is the main risk, and your care team reviews recent surgery, head injury, and blood thinners before giving it. Keep an updated list of your medicines and doses somewhere easy to reach, since that list speeds up the decision in an emergency.
Starting alteplase: what to know
Common questions
What is Alteplase Injection used for?
Alteplase is a tissue plasminogen activator, a thrombolytic that breaks down fibrin in blood clots and restores blood flow. Doctors give it through a vein for acute ischemic stroke, acute heart attack, and pulmonary embolism that causes unstable blood pressure. A much smaller dose, sold as Cathflo Activase, is placed into a central venous catheter to clear a clot blocking the line. Timing matters most in stroke, where treatment usually starts within 3 to 4.5 hours of symptom onset. Because alteplase raises bleeding risk, a clinician checks brain imaging and your history first. Call 911 for stroke symptoms.