Remote Ischemic Postconditioning in Endovascular Thrombectomy for Stroke: The EnTRIPS Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Although the neuroprotective potential of remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPC) has been reported, the efficacy and safety of ultra-early RIPC administered after endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke remain unclear. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ultra-early RIPC in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing EVT. METHODS: The EnTRIPS trial (Endovascular Treatment Combined with Remote Ischemic Postconditioning in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke) was a multicenter, randomized, controlled, outcome assessor-blinded, prospective clinical trial. The trial was conducted at 8 hospitals in China between April 12, 2021, and March 26, 2025. Eligible patients were adults with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion who presented within 24 hours of symptom onset, underwent EVT, and achieved successful recanalization. A total of 270 eligible patients were randomized within 6 hours after EVT to receive either RIPC plus guideline-based therapy (n=135) or guideline-based therapy alone (n=135). RIPC was administered for 7 days using pneumatic devices consisting of 5 cycles of bilateral upper-arm cuff inflation (5 minutes at 180 mm Hg) followed by deflation (3 minutes). The primary outcome was functional independence at 90 days, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]). Safety outcomes included the incidence of RIPC-related adverse events within 7 days. RESULTS: Among 270 randomized patients, a total of 268 (99.3%) participants completed the trial, including 133 in the RIPC group and 135 in the control group (mean [SD] age, 65.5 [16.8] years; 171 [63.8%] men). At 90 days, functional independence was achieved in 81 (60.9%) patients in the RIPC group and 78 (57.8%) patients in the control group (adjusted risk ratio, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.89–1.30]; P =0.46). RIPC-related adverse events occurred in 10 of 133 (7.5%) patients, and no intervention-related adverse events occurred in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Ultra-early RIPC is safe for patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with EVT, but it does not significantly improve the 90-day functional outcomes. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT04581759.