Cutting Limb Blood Helps To Protect The Heart Before Surgery

Recent findings published in the International Journal of Cardiology reveal that cutting off blood supply before undergoing surgery can help to protect heart patients undergoing an operation.

"During heart surgery, we have to stop the blood supply to the heart to be able to operate on it. After some time without fresh blood, the heart will reduce its ability to produce energy because it doesn't get oxygen. When we shut off the blood flow to another large muscle, such as an arm or a leg, the body prepares for an upcoming challenge by mobilizing its defense system," said lead study author Kathrine Hordnes Slagsvold, a PhD candidate at NTNU and medical doctor at St. Olva's Hospital, in a news release.

The latest findings involved cardiac tissue from 60 patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery. All of the participants were randomly assigned to receive RIPC or to a control group. RIPC was conducted by inflating a blood pressure cuff for five minutes three times.

"The heart muscle of the patients who had restricted blood flow to their arm before surgery was able to maintain the same level of energy production during the whole operation, while heart muscle from the other patients' heart was not. This may be important because heart tissue is dependent on energy to survive, as well as to repair injuries the cells may have endured during surgery."

While this technique, known as remote ischemic preconditioning, is nothing new, researchers have found that its effects on the heart's left chamber can hold benefits before surgical procedures.