Q: My father-in-law expired recently two hours after a successful angioplasty for 1 single 90% blockage. The doctor said it is due to untoward reaction of urokinase which was administered after the patient was moved from Cath lab to ICCU. What is urokinase? What does this mean and can it have such side effects that the patient went into a shock and died?

A:Many thanks for your email and my sincere condolences on the bereavement in the family. Urokinase is a clot busting drug and is used after angioplasty, either to disolve a clot or to prevent a clot from forming in the stented or angioplastied arteries. Untoward reactions to drugs are known, but I am not in a position to give any further comments on your father in-law’s case as I would need much more clinical details before I can give an opinion on this matter.