title: Progression in attenuating myocardial reperfusion injury: an overview.
abstract: Reperfusion by means of percutaneous coronary intervention or thrombolytic therapy is the most effective treatment for acute myocardial infarction, markedly reducing mortality and morbidity. Reperfusion however induces necrotic and apoptotic damages to cardiomyocytes, that were viable prior to reperfusion, a process called lethal reperfusion injury. This process, consisting of many single processes, may be responsible of up to half of the final infarct size. A myriad of therapies as an adjunct to reperfusion have been studied with the purpose to attenuate reperfusion injury. The majority of these studies have been disappointing or contradicting, but recent proof-of-concept trials show that reperfusion injury still is a legitimate target. This overview will discuss these trials, the progression in attenuating myocardial reperfusion injury, promising therapies, and future perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: flipbernink@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: F J P
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bernink
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Timmers
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Beek
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diamant
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Van Rossum
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Appelman
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D057775:Ischemic Postconditioning; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000628:therapy*; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy
keywords: Myocardial infarction; Myocardial reperfusion injury; Percutaneous coronary intervention