Effect of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Myocardial Injury in Noncardiac Surgery: The PRINCE Randomized Clinical Trial

L Levan Berikashvili (V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).) A Alessandro Belletti (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) F Francesco Meroi (Department of Emergency, University Hospital of Udine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale “Santa Maria della Misericordia,” Udine, Italy (F. Meroi, T.B.).) S Stefano Fresilli (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) A Aituar Kabibulatov (Astana Medical University, Kazakhstan (A. Kabibulatov, A. Konkayev).) A Andrea Russo S Sergey Efremov (Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, St. Petersburg, Russia) L Lini Wang (Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Anesthesia Clinical Research Center, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China (L.W., C.L.).) S Simone Vietri (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).) E Elena Momesso (Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, ULSS 4 Veneto Orientale, San Donà di Piave, Italy (E.M.).) F Filippo D’Amico (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) K Kristina Kadantseva (V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).) R Rosa Labanca (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) P Pavel Ryzhkov (V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).) M Marilena Marmiere (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) V Valerii Subbotin (Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientifiс Center, Moscow, Russia (K.K., V.S.).) A Alessandro Pruna (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) N Nerlep Rana (Department of Anesthesiology, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Switzerland (N.R.).) F Francesca Livi (Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy (F.L.).) H Hugo Mantilla-Gutierrez (Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología, Bogotá, Colombia (H.M.-G.).) I Ivan Situm M Marco Micali (Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy (C.B., M. Micali).) S Stefano Bosso (Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit Department, “Cardinal Massaia” Hospital, Asti, Italy (A. Roasio, S.B.).) A Anastasia Smirnova (V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).) G Giuseppe Fresta (Department of Anesthesia, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy (A. Russo, G.F.).) A Andrey Cherednichenko (Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, Russia (S.E., A.C.).) L Luigi Beretta G Giacomo Monti (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) F Francesco Corradi (Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy (F.C.).) M Maurizio Cecconi (Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy (M.G., M.C.).) A Andrey Yavorovskiy (I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, Moscow, Russia (A.Y., V.L.).) M Matteo Aldo Bonizzoni (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) T Tiziana Cabrini F Francesca Cavenago B Benedetta Chiodi E Edoardo Cristallo J Jacopo D’Andria Ursoleo (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) N Noemi De Piccoli F Francesco Deni S Sara Fiorito R Rosario Losiggio R Renato Meani E Elena Moizo C Cristina Nakhnoukh F Francesco Giuseppe Nisi L Lisa Notarianni A Anita Nutta D Domenico Pontillo (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) E Erica Ronca T Tommaso Scquizzato (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) L Luisa Zaraca Özgün Ömer Asiller M Marta Veneziano F Federico Ghignone V Vincenzo Bosco G Giuseppe Neri A Assyia Kadralinova N Nazerke Zhanarystan A Augusta Danella L Lorenzo Foti A Alessandra Besozzi L Laura Pasin J Jelena Lesanovis M Milica Stojicic M Michela Gandini M Marco Gemma M Michele Introna C Carolina Sassorossi Y Yamume Tshomba R Renato Ricciardi F Felix Ramon Montes P Pavel Bagdasarov D Daria Yavorovskaya F Federico Piccioni A Andrea Pradella R Roman Mikhey Y Yuki Kotani S Sergey Ushakov E Ekaterina Svetalkina M Massimo Zambon P Paolo Maino V Valeria Govorushkina M Maxim Monastyrnyy N Nicoletta Boffa M Maria Carmen Guarino A Ante Erceg F Federico Faitini D Daniele Orso C Cono Alberto Lanza M Martina Baiardo Redaelli D Desjan Filolli K Katia Donadello E Ekaterina Chernevskaya M Mikhail Yadgarov B Baobao Gao X Xue Yang M Massimiliano Greco (Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy (M.G., M.C.).) G Gaetano Lombardi (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).) M Marina Pieri (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) R Rosalba Lembo (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).) L Lian Kah Ti (Department of Anaesthesia, National University Hospital, Singapore) C Chong Lei (Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Anesthesia Clinical Research Center, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China) A Aidos Konkayev (Astana Medical University, Kazakhstan (A. Kabibulatov, A. Konkayev).) T Tiziana Bove (Department of Emergency, University Hospital of Udine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale Santa Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy) A Alberto Zangrillo (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) G Giovanni Landoni R Rinaldo Bellomo (Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia) R Remo Daniel Covello (Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Busto Arsizio Hospital, ASST Valle Olona, Busto Arsizio, Italy (R.D.C.).) S Stefano Turi (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) C Claudia Brusasco (Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy (C.B., M. Micali).) A Agostino Roasio (Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit Department, “Cardinal Massaia” Hospital, Asti, Italy (A. Roasio, S.B.).) F Fabrizio Monaco (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) G Giuseppe Giardina (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan) F Federico Mattia Oliva (Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS (Istitituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (S.T., F.M.O., R.L., G.L., D.P.).) F Fabio Guarracino (Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy) L Lorenzo Schiavoni P Pasquale Sansone (Department of Women, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,” Naples, Italy (P.S.).) V Valery Likhvantsev (Federal Clinical and Research Center of Intensive Care and Rehabilitation, Moscow) A Antonio Pisano A Alessandro Putzu C Carolina Soledad Romero Garcia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Major noncardiac surgery is associated with high rates of postoperative myocardial injury and other complications. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) was reported to decrease these complication rates. However, such supportive evidence lacks robustness. METHODS: In a multinational, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned adult high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures to receive RIPC or sham RIPC after the induction of general anesthesia and before surgery. RIPC involved three 5-minute ischemic cycles, each followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion, using a blood pressure cuff inflated to 200 mm Hg. The primary end point was the rate of myocardial injury, defined by an increase in postoperative troponin levels above the highest 99th percentile of reference values. Secondary outcomes included myocardial infarction, stroke, acute kidney injury, need for intensive care unit, length of hospital stay, and 30-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We recruited 1213 patients in 25 hospitals and 8 countries. We randomly assigned 599 patients to RIPC and 614 to sham RIPC. The most frequent surgical procedures were abdominal or intrathoracic surgeries (406 patients [33.6%]). RIPC was applied to the upper limb in 1014 patients (84.8%) and to the lower limb in 182 patients (15.2%). Postoperative myocardial injury occurred in 215 of 566 patients (38.0%) in the RIPC group and in 223 of 596 patients (37.4%) in the sham RIPC group (relative risk, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.88–1.18; P =0.84). There were no significant differences in the rate of any secondary outcomes. We observed 11 episodes of limb petechiae (10 [1.7%] in the RIPC group versus one [0.2%] in the sham RIPC group) and 34 (6.0%) hospital readmissions in the RIPC group versus 20 (3.5%) in the sham RIPC group. CONCLUSIONS: Among adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, RIPC did not reduce myocardial injury or other postoperative complications. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02427867.

Article Details

Journal Circulation
Volume / Issue Vol. 152, Issue 17
Published October 28, 2025
Pages 1194-1205
ISSN 0009-7322
Publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Journal Info

Circulation

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISSN: 0009-7322 Health Sciences

Authors (121)

L

Levan Berikashvili

V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).

A

Alessandro Belletti

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

F

Francesco Meroi

Department of Emergency, University Hospital of Udine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale “Santa Maria della Misericordia,” Udine, Italy (F. Meroi, T.B.).

S

Stefano Fresilli

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

A

Aituar Kabibulatov

Astana Medical University, Kazakhstan (A. Kabibulatov, A. Konkayev).

A

Andrea Russo

S

Sergey Efremov

Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, St. Petersburg, Russia

L

Lini Wang

Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Anesthesia Clinical Research Center, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China (L.W., C.L.).

S

Simone Vietri

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).

E

Elena Momesso

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, ULSS 4 Veneto Orientale, San Donà di Piave, Italy (E.M.).

F

Filippo D’Amico

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

K

Kristina Kadantseva

V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).

R

Rosa Labanca

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

P

Pavel Ryzhkov

V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).

M

Marilena Marmiere

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

V

Valerii Subbotin

Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientifiс Center, Moscow, Russia (K.K., V.S.).

A

Alessandro Pruna

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

N

Nerlep Rana

Department of Anesthesiology, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Switzerland (N.R.).

F

Francesca Livi

Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy (F.L.).

H

Hugo Mantilla-Gutierrez

Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología, Bogotá, Colombia (H.M.-G.).

I

Ivan Situm

M

Marco Micali

Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy (C.B., M. Micali).

S

Stefano Bosso

Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit Department, “Cardinal Massaia” Hospital, Asti, Italy (A. Roasio, S.B.).

A

Anastasia Smirnova

V.A. Negovsky Scientific Research Institute of General Reanimatology, Moscow, Russia (L. Berikashvili, K.K., P.R., A.S., V.L.).

G

Giuseppe Fresta

Department of Anesthesia, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy (A. Russo, G.F.).

A

Andrey Cherednichenko

Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, Russia (S.E., A.C.).

L

Luigi Beretta

G

Giacomo Monti

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

F

Francesco Corradi

Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy (F.C.).

M

Maurizio Cecconi

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy (M.G., M.C.).

A

Andrey Yavorovskiy

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, Moscow, Russia (A.Y., V.L.).

M

Matteo Aldo Bonizzoni

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

T

Tiziana Cabrini

F

Francesca Cavenago

B

Benedetta Chiodi

E

Edoardo Cristallo

J

Jacopo D’Andria Ursoleo

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

N

Noemi De Piccoli

F

Francesco Deni

S

Sara Fiorito

R

Rosario Losiggio

R

Renato Meani

E

Elena Moizo

C

Cristina Nakhnoukh

F

Francesco Giuseppe Nisi

L

Lisa Notarianni

A

Anita Nutta

D

Domenico Pontillo

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

E

Erica Ronca

T

Tommaso Scquizzato

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

L

Luisa Zaraca

Özgün Ömer Asiller

M

Marta Veneziano

F

Federico Ghignone

V

Vincenzo Bosco

G

Giuseppe Neri

A

Assyia Kadralinova

N

Nazerke Zhanarystan

A

Augusta Danella

L

Lorenzo Foti

A

Alessandra Besozzi

L

Laura Pasin

J

Jelena Lesanovis

M

Milica Stojicic

M

Michela Gandini

M

Marco Gemma

M

Michele Introna

C

Carolina Sassorossi

Y

Yamume Tshomba

R

Renato Ricciardi

F

Felix Ramon Montes

P

Pavel Bagdasarov

D

Daria Yavorovskaya

F

Federico Piccioni

A

Andrea Pradella

R

Roman Mikhey

Y

Yuki Kotani

S

Sergey Ushakov

E

Ekaterina Svetalkina

M

Massimo Zambon

P

Paolo Maino

V

Valeria Govorushkina

M

Maxim Monastyrnyy

N

Nicoletta Boffa

M

Maria Carmen Guarino

A

Ante Erceg

F

Federico Faitini

D

Daniele Orso

C

Cono Alberto Lanza

M

Martina Baiardo Redaelli

D

Desjan Filolli

K

Katia Donadello

E

Ekaterina Chernevskaya

M

Mikhail Yadgarov

B

Baobao Gao

X

Xue Yang

M

Massimiliano Greco

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy (M.G., M.C.).

G

Gaetano Lombardi

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).

M

Marina Pieri

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

R

Rosalba Lembo

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (M.G., G. Lombardi, M.P., F. Monaco, A.B., S.F., G.G., F.M.O., R. Lembo, S.V., F.D., R. Labanca, M. Marmiere, A.P., L. Beretta, G.M., A.Z., G. Landoni, S.T.).

L

Lian Kah Ti

Department of Anaesthesia, National University Hospital, Singapore

C

Chong Lei

Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Anesthesia Clinical Research Center, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China

A

Aidos Konkayev

Astana Medical University, Kazakhstan (A. Kabibulatov, A. Konkayev).

T

Tiziana Bove

Department of Emergency, University Hospital of Udine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale Santa Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy

A

Alberto Zangrillo

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

G

Giovanni Landoni

R

Rinaldo Bellomo

Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

R

Remo Daniel Covello

Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Busto Arsizio Hospital, ASST Valle Olona, Busto Arsizio, Italy (R.D.C.).

S

Stefano Turi

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

C

Claudia Brusasco

Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy (C.B., M. Micali).

A

Agostino Roasio

Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit Department, “Cardinal Massaia” Hospital, Asti, Italy (A. Roasio, S.B.).

F

Fabrizio Monaco

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

G

Giuseppe Giardina

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

F

Federico Mattia Oliva

Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS (Istitituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (S.T., F.M.O., R.L., G.L., D.P.).

F

Fabio Guarracino

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy

L

Lorenzo Schiavoni

P

Pasquale Sansone

Department of Women, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,” Naples, Italy (P.S.).

V

Valery Likhvantsev

Federal Clinical and Research Center of Intensive Care and Rehabilitation, Moscow

A

Antonio Pisano

A

Alessandro Putzu

C

Carolina Soledad Romero Garcia