Here is the complete overview of:
💉 Alteplase Powder for Injection 20 mg
🧪 Nature / Drug Class
🔹 Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA)
🔹 Thrombolytic agent / Fibrinolytic
🩺 Purpose / Indications
✅ Used to dissolve blood clots in emergency settings like:
- Acute ischemic stroke (within 4.5 hours of symptom onset)
- Acute myocardial infarction (STEMI)
- Massive pulmonary embolism (PE)
- Occluded central venous catheters (for catheter clearance)
⚙️ Advantages
✔️ Clot-specific fibrinolysis – acts mainly at the clot site
✔️ Proven efficacy in reducing long-term disability in stroke when given early
✔️ Can restore catheter function without need for replacement
✔️ Available in multiple vial sizes (e.g., 20 mg, 50 mg)
📦 Common Packaging
📦 Lyophilized powder in a 20 mg vial
🧴 Comes with sterile water for reconstitution
🧪 Final concentration depends on dilution
💉 Administered via IV bolus and/or infusion
⚠️ Patient Advice / Precautions
🚨 Strictly hospital use only – requires ICU or monitored setting
🧠 CT/MRI must rule out hemorrhagic stroke before use in ischemic stroke
🩸 High bleeding risk – monitor:
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Gastrointestinal or urinary bleeding
- Puncture sites or recent surgeries
❌ Contraindications
- Active internal bleeding
- Recent major surgery/trauma (<3 months)
- Severe uncontrolled hypertension
- History of intracranial hemorrhage
- Bleeding diathesis or platelet disorders
⚠️ Use With Caution
- Elderly (>75 years)
- Low body weight
- Concurrent anticoagulant therapy (e.g., warfarin, DOACs)
- Recent invasive procedures
🔄 Drug Interactions
- Antiplatelets (e.g., aspirin, clopidogrel) – ↑ bleeding risk
- Anticoagulants (e.g., heparin, warfarin) – additive hemorrhagic risk
- NSAIDs – potential for GI bleeding
🧊 Storage
🌡 Store unreconstituted vial at 2–8°C (refrigerated)
🕒 Use immediately after reconstitution
🗑 Discard unused portion – no preservatives