reperfusion
|re-per-fu-sion|
🇺🇸
/ˌriːpərˈfjuːʒən/
🇬🇧
/ˌriːpəˈfjuːʒən/
restoring blood flow
Etymology
'reperfusion' is a modern medical formation from the prefix 're-' (from Latin, meaning 'again') plus 'perfusion' (from Late Latin 'perfusio').
'perfusion' comes from Latin 'perfundere' ('per-' meaning 'through' + 'fundere' meaning 'to pour'), which led to Late Latin 'perfusio' and then English 'perfusion'; 'reperfusion' was formed in English by adding the prefix 're-' to indicate 'again' and was adopted in 20th-century medical usage.
Originally the roots conveyed the general idea of 'pouring through' or 'flowing through'; in modern medical usage 'reperfusion' specifically denotes the restoration of blood flow (and by extension the phenomenon of reperfusion injury).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the restoration of blood flow to an organ or tissue that had experienced ischemia (lack of blood supply).
Timely reperfusion of the blocked coronary artery reduced the extent of myocardial damage.
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Noun 2
tissue injury or damage that can occur when blood flow is restored after ischemia, often called reperfusion injury or ischemia–reperfusion injury.
Although reperfusion is essential, it can paradoxically cause further cell death known as reperfusion injury.
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Last updated: 2025/10/22 20:55