The Effect of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Plasma Troponin I Appearance After a Standardized Cycling Test in Healthy Volunteers

Strenuous exercise in apparent healthy individuals increases plasma (high sensitive) troponin levels. The underlying mechanism is not yet elucidated, but could be explained by changes due to a mismatch in oxygen demand and supply that mimic those of ischemia and reperfusion injury. If the mechanism underlying the troponin release during exercise is similar to that of ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), than it should be susceptible to remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) as RIPC is a well validated technique to reduce IRI. To test this hypothesis healthy volunteers underwent a strenuous exercise test with or without preceding RIPC.