Scientists have discovered that inflating a blood pressure cuff on the upper arm immediately prior to heart bypass surgery could decrease risk of heart injury and increase long-term survival rate.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 395,000 coronary artery bypass graft surgeries were carried out in the US in 2010.

Heart surgery, such as coronary bypass, can often cause heart muscle damage, the researchers say. It is linked to reduced long-term survival and can cause severe health outcomes such as heart attacks.

Researchers from the University School of Medicine, Essen, Germany, analyzed the effects of a procedure called remote ischemic preconditioning on 162 patients scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

A control group of 167 patients undergoing heart surgery who did not have remote ischemic preconditioning were also monitored.

Remote ischemic preconditioning is a procedure that involves temporarily cutting off the blood supply, then restoring it to an area away from the heart.

The study, published in the The Lancet, looked at whether this procedure affects long-term survival following bypass surgery, and whether it has effects on other health issues, such as stroke and heart attack.

Share on Pinterest Blood pressure cuff: blood flow of the heart bypass patients was restricted before surgery by simple use of a sphygmomanometer

The patients undergoing remote ischemic preconditioning were:

Anesthetized prior to surgery and had their blood flow restricted for 5 minutes with a standard blood pressure cuff, which was inflated on their upper left arm.

They then had their blood supply restored for 5 minutes as the cuff deflated.

This procedure was repeated three times.

Following the surgery, the patients’ blood concentrations of a substance called troponin 1 was measured. This substance is a biomarker protein that reveals any damage to the heart muscle. A higher concentration of troponin 1 means extensive damage has occurred.

Additionally, the patients were monitored for up to 4 years after surgery in order to see whether remote ischemic preconditioning had any effects on their long-term health.