Ascorbyl free radical (AFR), can be considered as an atoxic and endogenous indicator of oxidative stress. The purpose of our experiments was to investigate the influence of the severity and length of ischemia on the extent of AFR release during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. For that purpose, isolated perfused rat hearts were submitted to a global ischemia, either total (residual flow 0%) or low flow (residual flow 5%), of 20 or 60 min length. Coronary effluents were collected at different times of experimentation and analyzed with Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. AFR ESR doublet (g = 2.0054, aH = 0.188 MT) was not detected in coronary effluents collected during control perfusion periods. Nevertheless, during low-flow ischemia, a weak AFR release was noted. Moreover, a sudden and massive AFR liberation was observed at the time of reperfusion: this AFR release was weaker after low-flow ischemia than after total ischemia and was enhanced when the duration of ischemia increased from 20 min to 60 min. The large liberation of AFR noticed during global total ischemia was associated with a greater depression in myocardial contractile function and a lower recovery in coronary flow. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that AFR production at the time of reperfusion depends on the duration and strength of the ischemia, and is related to free radical injury. According to previously described ascorbate/AFR properties, we can conclude that AFR liberation in coronary effluents could represent a marker of oxidative stress during ischemia and/or reperfusion of hearts. This AFR release could be considered a sign of the severity of the ischemic episode, and could be related to the functional impairment during reperfusion.