Fibrinolytic therapy for very late stent thrombosis--is it a viable option?

Stent thrombosis (ST) has a very high case fatality and morbidity rates. The risk of very late ST is significantly increased with drug-eluting stents (DES) compared to bare-metal stents for at least up to 4 years. Discontinuation of clopidogrel therapy is the single most important consistently identified risk factor. Immediate reperfusion, preferably by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), has been considered the therapy of choice. Compared to de novo ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), myocardial infarction (MI) related to ST has significantly higher major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and lower reperfusion rates. Due to the significantly higher mortality associated with STEMI due to ST, prompt revascularization assumes paramount significance. Our case reflects the potential utility of fibrinolytic therapy for STEMI due to very late ST. Systemic fibrinolysis should be considered for ST in the presence of ongoing significant ischemia and unavailability of prompt PCI.