Does remote ischemic conditioning salvage left ventricular function after successful primary PCI?

Abstract

Evaluation of: Munk K, Andersen NH, Schmidt MR et al. Remote ischemic conditioning in myocardial infarct patients treated with primary angioplasty: impact on left ventricular function assessed by comprehensive echocardiography and gated SPECT. Circ. Cardiovasc. Imaging 3(6), 656–662 (2010).

The translation of ischemic preconditioning to a viable therapy that benefits patients has been slow. This has been largely due to the difficultly in preempting when ischemia will occur. Recent advances in the field have demonstrated that cardioprotection from brief episodes of ischemia is possible when applied immediately after reperfusion (ischemic postconditioning) or remotely in another tissue during myocardial ischemia, prior to reperfusion (remote ischemic conditioning). This has facilitated the therapeutic application to patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. In this article, we will discuss the results of a recent study published by Munk et al., concerning the application of remote ischemic conditioning during primary percutaneous coronary intervention to salvage myocardial function following ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Keywords::

• ejection fraction
• global longitudinal systolic strain
• primary percutaneous coronary intervention
• remote ischemic conditioning
• ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.