Using a cardiac anchor to refine myocardial infarction surgery in the rat

Researchers have used the rat model of myocardial infarction for more than 20 y to successfully mimic the detrimental effects of coronary occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery in humans. But researchers have published little about this surgery's intricacies or about the pathological progression of the disease after surgery. The authors describe a refined technique that uses a suture anchor at the apex of the heart, which allows easy and accurate placement of a ligature around the LAD. Furthermore, they detail the pathological timeline for the deposition of collagen in the injured left ventricle, a hallmark of myocardial infarction. Researchers can use this refined technique to easily create a rat myocardial infarction and use the pathophysiological markers described herein to follow disease progression.