Revista portuguesa de cardiologia : orgão oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia = Portuguese journal of cardiology : an official journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
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Advances in electrocardiography and enzymology in the 1940s and 1950s have provided better knowledge of the clinical evolution of myocardial infarction and recognition of the prognostic relevance of acute phase arrhythmias. This prompted the creation of intensive coronary care units in the subsequent decade. After the successful resolution of acute phase arrhythmias, it became clear that the myocardium necrotic area size was a determining factor in the long-term prognosis. ⋯ Myocardial reperfusion is a major accomplishment in this field. But it is like a double-edged sword because reperfusion injury significantly reduces the potential benefits of reperfusion. The huge amount of research undertaken in the past 20 years constitutes a paradigm of the relationship between experimental work and clinical practice, and has improved the prospects for diminishing infarct size, in both the short and long-term.