Effects of Remote Ischemic PreConditioning in Off-pump Versus On-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting(RIPCON)

Purpose Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) with transient upper limb ischemia reduces myocardial injury in patients undergoing On-pump coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery with cross-clamp fibrillation or blood cardioplegia for myocardial protection. The molecular mechanisms leading to these effects are yet not fully understood. The purpose of the present study is to validate previous studies and gather further evidence for RIPC during CABG with blood cardioplegia, furthermore to determine, whether or not RIPC is still operative during Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB), finally to elucidate intra-cellular mechanisms involved in myocardial protection by RIPC and their possible systemic mediators.