Could a Blood Pressure Cuff Help Save Heart Attack Patients?

A recent study shows how a blood pressure cuff could save lives in the patients suffering from an acute heart attack.

The study notes that as a blood pressure cuff cuts off the blood flow to the arm during transportation to the hospital for acute balloon dilation, it also reduces subsequent cardiac systems that could potentially increase the risk of mortality.

Researchers from Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University note that the lack of oxygen for short periods of time in a distant organ may prevent the flow of blood to an organ and can, in turn, protect another organ throughout prolonged periods of lack of oxygen as is often the case during a heart attack.

Lead study author Hans Erik Barker and researchers note that on average, around 30 percent of patients undergo acute balloon treatment for heart attacks. In patients treated with conditioning, a blood pressure cuff is often placed around the upper arm and inflated to 200 mmHg over a 5 minute period and released shortly after. The arm then rests for 5 minutes and then the same cycle starts again over the span of four times.

The study concludes with the researchers findings, via a press release: "The researchers have now followed 251 patients assigned to receive conditioning or no conditioning in addition to usual care during transportation to the heart centre for up to 4 years. During the follow-up period the initial salvage of heart tissue by conditioning was translated into a clinical benefit for the patients. The occurrence of new heart symptoms was reduced by 51% in the conditioning group compared to the control group. The total number of deaths was low and death caused by heart disease was reduced by 61%.

"The underlying mechanisms are thought to involve activation of endogenous protective systems that induces resistance towards tissue damage in the heart during a heart attack and in particular when re-opening the occluded heart vessel by balloon dilatation. Ph.D student Astrid Drivsholm Sloth, who conducted the present study, characterizes the treatment as promising and predicts that it will have widespread potential in the treatment of heart attacks. However, larger studies are required confirm the clinical implications of this smaller pilot trial such that it can be clarified whether the new intervention can reduce mortality and the development of heart failure after a heart attack."

More information regarding the study can be found in the European Heart Journal.