Patient characteristics
| Characteristics | Control (n = 22) | RIPC (n = 23) |
| Demographics | ||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 64 (9.0) | 62 (9.7) |
| Male | 19 (86) | 19 (83) |
| Female | 3 (14) | 4 (17) |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 18 (82) | 19 (83) |
| Hypertension | 13 (59) | 19 (83) |
| Previous myocardial infarction | 5 (23) | 5 (22) |
| Previous stroke | 0 | 1 (4) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 1 (5) | 1 (4) |
| Smoking history | ||
| Current smokers | 7 (32) | 5 (22) |
| Ex-smokers | 8 (36) | 10 (43) |
| Never smoked | 7 (32) | 8 (35) |
| Family history of IHD | 11 (50) | 7 (30) |
| Body mass index, mean (SD) | 28 (3.9) | 26 (3.5) |
| NYHA class, mean (SD) | 1.4 (0.8) | 1.7 (0.8) |
| CCS class, mean (SD) | 1.4 (0.8) | 1.7 (0.9) |
| Ejection fraction | ||
| >55% | 21 (95) | 20 (87) |
| 35–55% | 1 (5) | 2 (9) |
| <35% | 0 | 1 (4) |
| Euroscore, mean (SD) | 2.6 (2.1) | 2.1 (1.9) |
| Drug history | ||
| Aspirin | 12 (55) | 10 (43) |
| β Blocker | 16 (73) | 17 (74) |
| Cholesterol-lowering drug | 18 (82) | 19 (83) |
| ACE-inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker | 10 (45) | 13 (57) |
| Nitrate | 3 (14) | 3 (13) |
Values are presented as number (%) unless stated otherwise.
CCS, Canadian Cardiovascular Society; IHD, ischaemic heart disease; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RIPC, remote ischaemic preconditioning.