Irreversible cell injury occurs when ischemia persists and damages the structure and functions of the cell beyond repair. This involves 5 steps: 1) calcium influx damages mitochondria, 2) activated phospholipases damage membranes, 3) intracellular proteases damage cytoskeletons, 4) activated endonucleases damage nuclei, and 5) lysosomal enzymes cause cell death and phagocytosis. The changes that characterize irreversible injury include morphological changes to mitochondria and nuclei, degradation of cell membranes and cytoskeletons, and the leakage of hydrolytic enzymes from lysosomes, indicating irreparable cell damage and death.