• Sijie Li, Xiurong Xing, Lanjing Wang, Jiali Xu, Changhong Ren, Yalin Li, Jing Wang, Zhi Liu, Heng Zhao, Wenbo Zhao, and Xunming Ji.
• Department of Emergency, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, China.
• Crit Care. 2024 Jan 2; 28 (1): 55.

BackgroundAcute ischemic stroke (AIS) complicating an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not uncommon, but can severely worsen the clinical prognosis. This study aimed to investigate whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) could provide clinical benefits to patients with AIS complicating AMI.MethodsSubjects with AIS complicating AMI were recruited in this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial; assigned to the RIC and sham groups; and respectively underwent twice daily RIC and sham RIC for 2 weeks. All subjects received standard medical therapy. The primary endpoint was the rate of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) within 3 months after enrollment. MACCEs comprise of death from all causes, unstable anginas, AMI, acute ischemic strokes, and transient ischemic attacks.ResultsEighty subjects were randomly assigned; 37 patients in the RIC group and 40 patients in the sham-RIC group completed the 3-month follow-up and were included in the final analysis. Both RIC and sham RIC procedures were well tolerated. At 3-month follow-up, 11 subjects (29.7%) in the RIC group experienced MACCEs compared to 21 (52.5%) in the sham group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.396; 95% confidence interval, 0.187-0.838; adjusted p < 0.05). Six subjects (16.2%) in the RIC group had died at the 3-month follow up, significantly lower than the 15 (37.5%) deaths in the sham group (adjusted HR 0.333; 95% CI 0.126-0.881; p = 0.027). Seventeen subjects (45.9%) in the RIC group and 6 subjects (15.0%) in the sham group achieved functional independence (mRS score ≤ 2) at 3-month follow-up (adjusted OR 12.75; 95% CI 2.104-77.21; p = 0.006).ConclusionsAmong patients with acute ischemic stroke complicating acute myocardial infarction, treatment with remote ischemic conditioning decreased the major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events and improved functional outcomes at 90 days.Trial RegistrationURL: www.Clinicaltrialsgov . Unique identifier: NCT03868007. Registered 8 March 2019.© 2023. The Author(s).

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