Heart failure is associated with exaggerated endothelial ischaemia–reperfusion injury and attenuated effect of ischaemic preconditioning

Abstract

We found that patients with heart failure are associated with exaggerated endothelial IR-injury compared with age- and sex-matched, healthy controls, which may contribute to the poor clinical prognosis in heart failure. Furthermore, we found no protective effect of ischaemic preconditioning (3 × 5-min forearm ischaemia) against endothelial IR-injury in heart failure patients.