Simple medical technique provides lifesaving protection during and after an acute heart attack

Thursday, November 14, 2013 by: Carolanne Wright
Tags: acute heart attack, life saving protection, technique

(NaturalNews) Considering that heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and is responsible for billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures each year, methods to minimize heart damage during and after an attack are in high demand. Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark believe they may have found a solution.

Protection through lack of oxygen

As unconventional as it may seem, a new technique called remote ischemic conditioning can reduce tissue damage after a heart attack by 30 percent. According to ScienceDaily, "The method of conditioning is based on the observation that temporarily stopping the blood supply to a muscle makes it resistant to further damage. However, protection from one muscle may be transferred elsewhere through the blood stream to another. Squeezing an arm for a few minutes can shield the heart, reducing the extent of damage after a heart attack."

Conditioning involves using a blood pressure cuff around the upper arm and inflating it to 200 mmHg for 5 minutes in order to cut off blood flow. The cuff is then deflated, and the arm is allowed to rest for 5 minutes. After which, the blood pressure cuff is reapplied and the sequence begins again. The procedure is repeated four times total.

Complications slashed by half

To date, researchers at Aarhus University have followed 251 patients split into two groups: those who received conditioning in addition to standard care during transportation to the hospital, and those who did not. After four years of observation, it was discovered that new heart symptoms were reduced by 51 percent in the conditioning group compared to the control group. The death rate decreased as well - by 61 percent.

It is believed that the procedure activates endogenous protective systems within the body, thereby shielding the heart from damage during an attack - especially when the occluded heart vessel is reopened by balloon dilation.

As reported by ScienceDaily,"Ph.D student Astrid Drivsholm Sloth, who conducted the present study, characterizes the treatment as promising and predicts that it will have widespread potential in the treatment of heart attacks."

Sources:

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

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Carolanne believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, wellness coach and natural foods chef, she has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of green living for over 13 years. Through her website www.Thrive-Living.net she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people who share a similar vision.

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