Fig. 8.

Schema showing differences in myocardial ischemic injury caused by short-term ischemia and long-term ischemia, with each corresponding creatine kinase concentration time-curve image given below. The area of severe ischemic injury expands as the duration of ischemia increases. Hypercontracture appears to develop only in the myocardium with mild to moderate ischemic injury after reperfusion [8], [36]. Therefore, if hypercontracture is the primary cause or trigger of lethal reperfusion injury, a longer ischemia duration induces less lethal reperfusion injury.