Ischemic Conditioning: Implications for Emergency Medicine

Ischemic conditioning refers to the ability of brief episodes of controlled hypoperfusion around the time of an acute ischemic event to protect the target organ from reperfusion injury. A considerable body of literature suggests that interventions as simple and safe as repetitively inflating a blood pressure cuff could reduce the size and long-term morbidity of myocardial and cerebral infarction. This review introduces and summarizes the body of evidence contributing to these impressions.