EXPRESS: Safety and Efficacy of Remote Ischemic Conditioning for the Treatment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial

Xuanwu Hospital, Department of Neurology, No. 45, Changchun Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China. Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing, China. Beijing Institute For Brain Disorders, Beijing, China. Ningjin County Hospital, Xingtai, China. Heze Municipal Hospital, Heze, Shandong, China. The Sixth Hospital of Hengshui, Hengshui, China. Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, Shandong, China. Xuanwu Hospital, Neurology, Beijing, China. Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, United States. Xuanwu Hospital, Department of neurosurgery, Beijing, China.

International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society. 2021;:17474930211006580
Abstract
Background Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) can promote hematoma resolution, attenuate brain edema, and improve neurological recovery in animal models of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Aims This study aimed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of RIC in patients with ICH.Methods In this multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, 40 subjects with supratentorial ICH presenting within 24-48 hours of onset were randomly assigned to receive medical therapy plus RIC for consecutive 7 days or medical therapy alone. The primary safety outcome was neurological deterioration within 7 days of enrollment, and the primary efficacy outcome was the changes of hematoma volume on CT images. Other outcomes included hematoma resolution rate at 7 d ([hematoma volume at 7 d â hematoma volume at baseline]/hematoma volume at baseline), perihematomal edema (PHE), and functional outcome at 90 days. Results The mean age was 59.3±11.7 years and hematoma volume was 13.9±4.5 mL. No subjects experienced neurological deterioration within 7 days of enrollment, and no subject died or experienced RIC-associated adverse events during the study period. At baseline, the hematoma volumes were 14.19±5.07 mL in the control group and 13.55±3.99 mL in the RIC group, and they were 8.54±3.99 mL and 6.95±2.71 mL at 7 days after enrollment, respectively, not a significant difference (p>0.05 each). The hematoma resolution rate in the RIC group (49.25±9.17%) was significantly higher than in the control group (41.92±9.14%; MD, 7.3%; 95% CI, 1.51% to 13.16%; p=0.015). The absolute PHE volume was 17.27±8.34 mL in the control group and 12.92±7.30 mL in the RIC group at 7 days after enrollment, not a significant between-group difference (p=0.087), but the relative PHE in the RIC group (1.77±0.39) was significantly lower than in the control group (2.02±0.27; MD, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.39-0.47; p=0.023). At 90-day follow-up, 13 subjects (65%) in the RIC group and 12 subjects (60%) in the control group achieved favorable functional outcomes (mRS scoreâ¤3), not a significant between-group difference (p=0.744).Conclusions Repeated daily RIC for consecutive 7 days was safe and well-tolerated in patients with ICH, and it may be able to improve hematoma resolution rate and reduce relative PHE. However, effects RIC on the absolute hematoma and PHE volume and functional outcomes in this patient population need further investigations.Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03930940.
Study details
Language : eng
Credits : Bibliographic data from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine