Heart failure is the end-stage of a variety of underlying cardiovascular diseases and carries a poor prognosis. The condition is caused by a complex interaction between many pathophysiological processes including ischemia, fibrosis, ventricular remodeling, abnormal neurohumoral balance and inflammation. While traditional pharmacological treatment of heart failure often targets only one pathophysiological mechanism, remote ischemic conditioning induces a multitude of cardioprotective effects. In particular, the anti-ischemic, anti-remodeling and anti-inflammatory properties of remote ischemic conditioning may be of relevance. We propose that remote ischemic conditioning may offer a novel strategy to improve outcomes in heart failure.
Keywords: chronic ischemic heart disease; heart failure; ischemia; myocardial infarction; remote ischemic conditioning.