Fig. 1

Schematic overview of the study protocol and flowchart for patient enrolment. a A blood pressure cuff was placed around the patients arm. Following induction of anesthesia a remote ischemic preconditioning was induced immediately in the intervention group, by 3 times 5 min inflation of the blood pressure cuff to 200 mmHg. Surgery was started 13 ± 6 min after the end of the RIPC protocol. Blood samples (#) were taken before and after cuff inflation, before the start of surgery, or a comparable time point in control patients. A tissue probe of the right atrium was taken during cannulation of the vena cavae (*). b Flowchart for patient enrolment