Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Stunned myocardium
Introduction
Stunned myocardium or myocardial stunning is a state in which a section of the myocardium (corresponding to area of a major coronary occlusion) contracts abnormally despite normal blood flow. Myocardial stunning is a reduction in myocardial contractility reperfusion not accounted for by tissue damage or reduced blood flow. This is a segmental dysfunction which persists for a variable period of time, about two weeks, even after ischemia has been relieved (by angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery).
In this situation, while myocardial blood flow (MBF) returns to normal, function is still depressed for a variable period of time.
Stunned myocardium can be observed in the following clinical scenarios:
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
- After percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
- After cardiac surgery
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
External links
External links
- “Myocardial “stunning” in man”
- Baker C, Rimoldi O, Camici P, Barnes E, Chacon M, Huehns T, Haskard D, Polak J, Hall R (1999). “Repetitive myocardial stunning in pigs is associated with the increased expression of inducible and constitutive nitric oxide synthases”. Cardiovasc Res. 43 (3): 685–97. PMID 10690340.
- Grund F (2001). “Three cardiac mysteries–stunning, hibernation and ischemic preconditioning”. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 121 (4): 440–4. PMID 11255859.
- Myocardial+Stunning at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]