Pathophysiological characteristics of the post-myocardial infarction heart failure model in rats

Congestive heart failure (CHF) caused by myocardial infarction in rats is the most commonly used experimental model to study the congestive heart failure syndrome. Following myocardial necrosis, the manifestations observed in rats very satisfactorily reproduce the findings in humans with cardiac decompensation and substantiate the study of CHF pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and treatment. Two features are inadequate in the model: the high mortality rate in the first 24 hours after coronary occlusion, and the considerable diversity of myocardial infarct sizes. In this review we described methodological and pathophysiological aspects of the model, concluding with a reference to an alternative technique, which uses radio frequency electric current to produce myocardial necrosis, and evolves with low mortality rates and homogeneous infarct sizes.