Myocardial ischemia results from an imbalance of energy supply and demand. Because of the essentially aerobic nature of myocardial metabolism and the high oxygen extraction from the blood, ischemia is usually equatable with limitation of blood supply. Coronary atherosclerosis is a patchy disorder, and therefore, ischemia usually occurs in segmental fashion throughout the topography of the heart. Ischemia is invariably seen earliest and most intensely in the deep or subendocardial layers of myocardium. Ischemia leads to biochemical disruption, including initiation of glycolysis, which in turn causes electrophysiological and mechanical disturbances. Myocardial ischemia can be induced naturally or experimentally in the human subject in a variety of ways, some of which have been studied in the laboratory.
心肌缺血是由能量供需失衡所致。由于心肌代谢本质上是需氧的，且从血液中摄取氧气的比例较高，因此缺血通常等同于血液供应受限。冠状动脉粥样硬化是一种呈斑片状的疾病，所以缺血通常以节段性的方式出现在心脏的各个部位。缺血总是最早且最严重地出现在心肌的深层或心内膜下层面。缺血会导致生化紊乱，包括糖酵解的启动，进而引发电生理和机械功能障碍。心肌缺血可以通过多种方式在人体中自然诱发或通过实验诱发，其中一些方式已在实验室中进行了研究。
