Acute massive pulmonary embolism leading to cardiac arrest successfully treated with streptokinase: A case report

Massive pulmonary embolism (PE) carries high mortality, but the decision for thrombolysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be complicated by diagnostic uncertainty of cardiac arrest etiology. There are no definite guidelines or strong evidence regarding the benefit of the thrombolytic agent during cardiac arrest. We report a case of suspected acute massive PE with cardiac arrest successfully treated with streptokinase during CPR. The patient was discharged and was neurologically intact. This case report aims to demonstrate the importance of prompt diagnosis, urgent intervention with thrombolysis using streptokinase in managing such cases and review previous case reports using streptokinase with favorable outcomes.