New St. Francis Study May Show that Blood Pressure Cuff Could Be a Life-Saver
This Simple, Everyday Device Could Lessen Serious Complications from Heart Surgery
Roslyn, New York – Anyone with high blood pressure knows how crucial a blood pressure cuff can be for monitoring the condition, but it may also prove to be a lifesaving tool if used before a cardiac procedure by preventing serious complications such as a heart attack. A new study led by Nathaniel Reichek, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A, Director of Research at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center®, examines the way that this common, inexpensive medical device may have a positive impact on a cardiac patient’s survival subsequent to undergoing a procedure such as an angioplasty.
The study, which began this year, will explore exactly how remote ischemic reconditioning (RIPC), or constricting a blood vessel in the arm using a blood pressure cuff, helps to stimulate a protective response in the coronary arteries and the heart. A blood pressure cuff will be inflated during three, 5-minute intervals and the response of the coronary arteries and the heart tested using cardiac MRI and blood tests
In addition, a companion study will test the effectiveness of RIPC before insertion of a stent in patients with coronary disease in protecting the heart and improving long term outcomes. Although a previous study in England showed benefits from using the RIPC technique, these are the first studies to be conducted using powerful MRI data and sophisticated blood testing to evaluate cardiac protection produced by nothing more than a blood pressure cuff.
“Currently, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well understood, but now we hope to get a clearer picture using our state-of-the-art imaging techniques,” says Dr. Reichek, one of the country’s leading researchers in heart disease. “A blood pressure cuff may offer a low risk, low cost and easily available method to improve outcomes of interventional cardiac procedures and heart surgery.”
Sixty volunteers will be enrolled in the study, which should take up to a year and a half to complete. Dr. Reichek and his team will then begin a clinical study involving 240 patients, who will be followed a year after undergoing cardiac procedures to see if using the cuff helped keep them free of complications.
Contact:
Paul Barry, 516-705-6657, paul.barry@chsli.org
Rosemary Gomez, 516-705-6656, rosemary.gomez@chsli.org
