Does squeezing an arm really hard improve outcomes after cardiac surgery?

Remote ischemic preconditioning tested in multiple randomized trials

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac surgery induces ischemic injury throughout the body, but especially in the kidneys. Acute kidney injury occurs in up to a third of patients undergoing CPB.

Post-bypass kidney failure is believed to result from ischemia-reperfusion injury, when oxygen supply to a tissue is cut off and then restored.

Animal studies…