Shutting off blood supply to extremity to protect heart

Shutting off the blood supply to an arm or leg before cardiac surgery protects the heart during the operation, a study shows. "The heart muscle of the patients who had restricted blood flow to their arm before surgery were able to maintain the same level of energy production during the whole operation, while heart muscle from the other patients' hearts was not. This may be important because heart tissue is dependent on energy to survive, as well as to repair injuries the cells may have endured during surgery," an investigator says.

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