Postconditioning

Early and successful reperfusion is mandatory to limit infarct size, and reduce morbidity and mortality from acute coronary syndrome. However, reperfusion is a double edge sword, with the potential to induce additional damage to the ischemic myocardium (reperfusion injury). The reperfusion injury may account for up to 50% of final infarct size. By stimulating cardioprotective pathway, postconditioning (ischemic, remote and pharmacological postconditioning) can reduce the negative impact of ischemia and reperfusion on the heart. In the present article, we briefly elucidate the mechanisms involved in cardiac protection and discuss the available supporting data for the use of postconditioning in the clinical scenario.