Objective To establish a myocardial infarction mouse model for systematic evaluation. Methods A total of 42 C57BL/ 6J mice were divided into two groups: sham group ( n= 8) and model group ( n= 34). Myocardial infarction was induced by squeezing the heart and left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate cardiac functions at 24 h, 3 d and 7 d after surgery. Then, the chest was opened and the occurrence of myocardial infarction was evaluated. Heart samples were collected for TTC staining to confirm the occurrence of infarction at 24 h after surgery. Heart sections were prepared for HE staining at 7 d after surgery. mRNA expression of inflammatory and fibrotic related genes in the infarct area was detected at 3 and 7 d after surgery, respectively. Results After surgery, the left ventricular anterior wall of the model group showed a whitish myocardium compared with the sham group. TTC staining showed a white infarct area, suggesting that the model was established successfully. Echocardiography indicated that cardiac functions of the model group were significantly decreased and gradually deteriorated over time. Expression of inflammatory genes, such as TNF-α and MCP-1, was increased significantly at 3 days postoperatively in the infarct area (P< 0. 05). Histological analysis showed that many inflammatory cells had infiltrated into the infarct area at 7 days postoperatively, and the boundary between the infarct area and non-infarct area was clear. Expression of fibrotic genes, including FN and COL3A1, in the infarct area were increased significantly ( P< 0. 01). Conclusions The MI mouse model and its evaluation were successfully established and refined, which provide insights for model establishment.