Intermittent Infusions Of Arvin And Low-Dose Urokinase In The Treatment Of Deep Vein Thrombosis
A preliminary study has been made on the thrombolytic therapy effectivity in seven patients with deep vein thrombosis, undergoing intermittent arvin/urokinase therapy. On the first day, patients received an infusion of 70 units of arvin over a period of 6 hours, followed by a bolus infusion of 70 units of arvin and half an hour later, a bolus infusion of 250,000 units of urokinase. After 6 hours 35 units of arvin were administered over a six hourly period followed by a bolus infusion of 250,000 units of urokinase. Subsequent four days consited of a six hourly infusion of 35 units of arvin followed by a bolus infusion of 250,000 units of urokinase. Urokinase dose was repeated twice at 8 hourly intervals. Blood samples were collected each day, pre arvin, post arvin and post first dose of urokinase.No haemorrhagic complications were observed. Two out of four patients with incomplete occlusive thrombi showed 100% lysis, in the other two no lysis occurred. The three patients with complete occlusive thrombi showed no lysis.After the initial infusion of arvin, circulating clottable fibrinogen fell to ≃35% of the preinfusion level. Urokinase had a small effect on the fibrinogen level reducing it to 12% of the preinfusion level. Plasma concentration of fibrinogen degradation products initially rose to levels >3 mg/ml but dropped to lower levels remaining there throughout the treatment. On the first day of treatment plasminogen levels dropped by ≃60% and antiplasmin levels by ≃80% of the pretreatraent level, after the administration of arvin and urokinase. Levels of urokinase rose to > 0.3u/ml post treatment but fell to≃0.01u/ml in the pretreatment samples.These results suggest that this type of treatment involving a defibrinogenating agent arvin, and a plasminogen activator urokinase, may constitute a safe and effective way of lysing non-occlusive deep vein thrombin without any associated haemorrhagic complications.