Experimental models and definitions of myocardial ischemia: A review

Abstract

In this article the authors present a clarification of the terms myocardial ischemia, anoxia, anoxemia, hypoxia, simulated ischemia, chemical ischemia, mechanical ischemia, and metabolic inhibition, as well as the clinical manifestations “angina pectoris, variant angina, and myocardial infarction,” which, time and again, have been misused throughout the literature. During a number of scientific sessions there has been considerable dispute among scientists concerning the term ischemia and the terminology related to the context of ischemia. In the 1990 Oxford meeting of the Physiological Society the point was made that there has been no quotable reference accurately defining these terms. Thus, in this paper, the authors summarize those terms that are widely used in the context of ischemia and present a very basic definition of them.

Furthermore, the validity and applicability of the most commonly used models of experimental, simulated ischemia are discussed.