Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Pre-clinical Model of Cardiac Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 2, 2019
Cardiologists are living through exciting times. The example of postconditioning to protect the human heart during
Insights
Cardioprotection strategies like preconditioning and postconditioning protect the heart from ischemic damage. These methods involve brief periods of ischemia to prevent injury during major heart attacks.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Ischemic Heart Disease
Background:
- The Jennings group's 1986 work in Circulation introduced cardioprotection via repeated ischemia and reperfusion.
- This phenomenon, known as preconditioning, protects against subsequent prolonged ischemic events.
Discussion:
- Postconditioning, a related strategy, offers similar protection by applying brief ischemia just after reperfusion begins in acute myocardial infarction.
- It took nearly two decades to translate preconditioning concepts into clinical applications like postconditioning.
Key Insights:
- Both preconditioning and postconditioning are powerful cardioprotective strategies.
- These interventions target reperfusion-induced myocardial cell death.
Outlook:
- As cardiologists recognize the potential of targeting reperfusion injury, postconditioning is poised for significant development.
- This field represents a novel therapeutic target for acute myocardial infarction management.
Abstract:
The exciting work the group of Jennings, published in Circulation in 1986, has established a new and powerful form of cardioprotection, whereby exposure to short bouts of repeated ischemia interspersed by reperfusion protects from a subsequent prolonged and potentially very serious major ischemic attack. Similar protection by postconditioning can be achieved by short bursts of ischemia just after the onset of mechanical reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction. Of interest, it has taken almost 20 years of intense work to bring all the important preconditioning ideas to clinical reality in the form of postconditioning. Once cardiologists are fully awoken to the idea of attacking reperfusion induced myocardial cell death, then this area will be set to develop as a major and novel target in the therapy of acute myocardial infarction.
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