Prospects for management of ischemia and reperfusion

Abstract

*Despite all of the advances that have been achieved by researchers into the pathophysiology of ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), there is still a great deal to be investigated. Enormous challenges remain in understanding the mechanisms of injury and, clearly, in introducing new treatments. Faced with a patient with acute ischemia of an extremity, the vascular surgeon’s greatest concern will always be to achieve successful revascularization, while bearing in mind the risks involved in this procedure in more serious situations. It is very difficult to determine the limit of cell viability, particularly on the basis of clinical examination and this fact is the reason that surgeons tend to favor revascularization in attempts to salvage