Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning Combined With Exercise Training on Vascular Function.
Condition: Cardiovascular Disease Risk
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Remote Ischaemic preconditioning' (RIPC) is defined as short controlled sequences of repeated
      inflation of a blood pressure cuff on the upper arm (to reduce blood flow) for 5 mins
      followed by recovery (cuff deflation so blood flows normally again). An intervention
      consisting of 4 cycles of 5 min of arm cuff inflation followed by deflation performed 3 times
      per week, spread over 8 weeks has been shown to improve blood vessel function in young
      individuals without any medical conditions. This is a simple and easily applicable
      intervention that could help the blood vessels capacity to deliver blood to an organ (e.g.
      heart or the muscle).It is currently unknown if RIPC combined with exercise training,
      provides stronger benefits to our blood vessels than RIPC alone. Therefore, the aim of this
      study is to investigate if combining RIPC with an 8 week exercise training programme improves
      blood vessel health more than 8 weeks of RIPC alone.
    

Detailed description: 
      A bout of ischaemia using a blood pressure cuff on the upper arm inflated to a pressure of
      220 mm Hg for 5 mins followed by reperfusion (deflation of the cuff) is commonly known as
      remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC). Traditionally, RIPC refers to 5 minutes of
      inflation-5 minutes deflation repeated 4 times. Recent research has investigated the impact
      of repeated RIPC interventions on cardiovascular health. One previous repeated RIPC
      intervention, whereby RIPC was performed 3 times per week for eight weeks, identified that
      RIPC significantly enhanced conduit artery endothelial function and microvascular function.

      Exercise training is crucial for a healthy lifestyle, with the World Health Organization
      recommending that adults aged 18-64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic
      physical activity per week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity.
      Interestingly, the impact of exercise training on the vasculature is similar to that of
      repeated RIPC interventions, with reductions in arterial blood pressure, increased in blood
      flow and improvements in systemic vascular endothelial function. No study has examined if
      combining exercise and RIPC provides enhanced effects on the vasculature compared to exercise
      alone.

      The aim of this study is to investigate whether combining 8 weeks of exercise and RIPC is
      more beneficial to systemic vascular function that exercise alone.
    

Intervention name(s): rIPC + Exercise; rIPC only
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The interventions consist of exercise training on a static bike three times per week and/or three bouts of rIPC per week for 8 weeks. A single bout of rIPC consists of cycles of upper arm cuff inflation for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes cuff deflation repeated 4 times.; Three bouts of rIPC per week for 8 weeks. A single bout of rIPC consists of cycles of upper arm cuff inflation for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes deflation repeated 4 times.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Other