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Updated: May 5, 2026

Murine Isolated Heart Model of Myocardial Stunning Associated with Cardioplegic Arrest
Published on: August 6, 2015
Stunned and hibernating myocardium
1Heart Institute, Hospital of the Good Samaritan, Los Angeles, California 90017.
Insights
Non-functioning myocardium can be dead, stunned, hibernating, or ischemic. Studies confirm stunned myocardium in humans and hibernating myocardium in patients with chronic low flow ischemia, showing improved function after revascularization.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Physiology
Background:
- Non-functioning myocardium presents diagnostic challenges.
- Potential states include infarction, stunning, hibernation, or acute ischemia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for stunned and hibernating myocardium.
- To differentiate these states from irreversible myocardial damage.
Main Methods:
- Review of experimental and clinical studies.
- Analysis of data from coronary artery occlusion/reperfusion models.
- Evaluation of clinical outcomes following revascularization in ischemic heart disease.
Main Results:
- Stunned myocardium (postischemic ventricular dysfunction) is well-documented experimentally and clinically.
- Hibernating myocardium (viable tissue in chronic low flow) is supported by clinical evidence.
- Revascularization improves left ventricular function in hibernating myocardium.
Conclusions:
- Stunned and hibernating myocardium represent distinct states of viable but dysfunctional heart muscle.
- These findings have implications for diagnosing and treating ischemic heart disease.
- Understanding these myocardial states is crucial for guiding therapeutic interventions.
Abstract:
Myocardium that is not functioning may be dead (infarct or scar), viable but stunned (postischemic ventricular dysfunction), viable but hibernating (chronic low flow state), or acutely ischemic. Stunned myocardium has clearly been documented (a) in experimental studies of brief coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusion, and (b) in myocardial infarct models in which early reperfusion salvages viable tissue. Recent clinical studies have confirmed the existence of stunned myocardium in humans. Evidence supporting the concept of hibernating myocardium comes from clinical studies in which patients with chronic low flow ischemia exhibit improvement in left ventricular function (sometimes immediately) following revascularization.
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