Time to rename the “ischemia/reperfusion injury” model to “ischemia/delayed reperfusion injury” model?

Small animals are often used in the preclinical and translational studies. Left coronary artery ligation followed by reperfusion in rats or mice serves as an important myocardial infarction (MI) models resembling the clinical MI cases treated with revascularization. This model is typically referred to as the “ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model.” However, it is not the reperfusion itself but rather the delay in reperfusion following ischemic insult that contributes most significantly to the residual myocardial damage. Therefore, it may be more accurate to rename it the “ischemia/delayed reperfusion injury (IdRI) model.”