Short-term outcomes of remote ischemic postconditioning 1 h after perinatal hypoxia-ischemia in term piglets.

BACKGROUND

We aimed to assess remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPC) as a neuroprotective strategy after perinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in a piglet model.

METHODS

Fifty-four newborn piglets were subjected to global HI for 45 min. One hour after HI, piglets were randomized to four cycles of 5 min of RIPC or supportive treatment only. The primary outcome was brain lactate/N-acetylaspartate (Lac/NAA) ratios measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 72 h. Secondary outcomes included diffusion-weighted imaging and neuropathology.

RESULTS

RIPC was associated with a reduction in overall and basal ganglia Lac/NAA ratios at 72 h after HI, but no effect on diffusion-weighted imaging, neuropathology scores, neurological recovery, or mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

The selective effect of RIPC on Lac/NAA ratios may suggest that the metabolic effect is greater than the structural and functional improvement at 72 h after HI. Further studies are needed to address whether there is an add-on effect of RIPC to hypothermia, together with the optimal timing, number of cycles, and duration of RIPC.

IMPACT: RIPC after HI was associated with a reduction in overall and basal ganglia Lac/NAA ratios at 72 h, but had no effect on diffusion-weighted imaging, neuropathology scores, neurological recovery, or mortality. RIPC may have a selective metabolic effect, ameliorating lactate accumulation without improving other short-term outcomes assessed at 72 h after HI. We applied four cycles of 5 min RIPC, complementing existing data on other durations of RIPC. This study adds to the limited data on RIPC after perinatal HI and highlights that knowledge gaps, including timing and duration of RIPC, must be addressed together with exploring the combined effects with hypothermia.