Prevention of Ischemia in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Through Remote Ischemic Preconditioning (HMA)

August 11, 2026 updated by: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice

Remote Ischemic Preconditioning (RIPC) and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe form of stroke caused by bleeding around the brain. Despite early treatment of the initial hemorrhage, many patients develop delayed cerebral ischemia several days later, which is a major cause of neurological disability, cognitive impairment, and mortality. Current preventive and therapeutic strategies are only partially effective, highlighting the need for new treatment approaches.

This study investigates a simple, non-invasive technique called remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC). RIPC consists of brief, repeated cycles of limb ischemia and reperfusion induced by a blood pressure cuff. RIPC is thought to activate endogenous protective mechanisms that may improve the brain's tolerance to ischemia. Although beneficial effects have been reported in experimental models and cardiovascular diseases, its clinical efficacy in aneurysmal SAH remains uncertain.

In this randomized, controlled, single-blinded, multicenter study, adult patients admitted with aneyrysmal SAH will be randomly assigned to receive RIPC or a sham procedure. The RIPC group will undergo cycles of brief lower-limb ischemia using a pressure cuff, while the sham group will receive an identical procedure without inducing ischemia. Patients and neurologists assessing outcomes will remain blinded to group allocation.

The intervention will be performed every two days from day 2 to day 10 after hemorrhage. Neurological outcome will be assessed at 3 months using the modified Rankin Scale. Secondary outcomes include mortality at 3 months, long-term neurological and cognitive function outcomes at 12 months, and the incidence of adverse events related to the procedure.

If effective, RIPC could become a simple, low-cost, widely accessible method to reduce disability after SAH. The results may help improve future treatment strategies for this severe condition.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

140

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age over 18 years
  • Hospitalization for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage confirmed by CT scan and/or lumbar puncture
  • Confirmation of intracranial aneurysm by CT angiography and/or cerebral angiography
  • Written informed consent obtained from the patient or legal representative
  • Affiliation to a social security system

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Skin, orthopedic, or vascular conditions of the limbs contraindicating ischemic preconditioning (e.g., ulcers, fractures, deep vein thrombosis)
  • Pregnancy
  • Withdrawal of informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Ischemic Preconditioning (RIPC)
Three cycles of lower-limb ischemia and reperfusion using a blood pressure cuff inflated to 20 mmHg above systolic blood pressure for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion. The procedure is performed every two days from day 2 to day 10 after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Placebo Comparator: Sham Procedure
Identical procedure to the experimental arm, except the cuff is inflated to only 30 mmHg, insufficient to induce ischemia, giving the sensation of pressure without therapeutic effect. Performed every two days from day 2 to day 10 post-hemorrhage.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neurological Functional Outcome at 3 Months (mRS)
Time Frame: 3 months (+/- 15 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Assessment of neurological disability and dependency using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) performed by a blinded neurologist. The mRS is a 6-point scale (0 to 5), with 5 being a severe disability.
3 months (+/- 15 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluation of mortality at 3 Months
Time Frame: From day 0 to 3 months post-hemorrhage
Comparison of all-cause mortality between the RIPC group and the sham group
From day 0 to 3 months post-hemorrhage
Long-term Neurological Outcome at 12 Months (mRS)
Time Frame: 12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Assessment of long-term neurological disability and dependency using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) performed by a blinded neurologist. The mRS is a 6-point scale (0 to 5), with 5 being a severe disability.
12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Evaluation of Cognitive Function at 12 months (MMSE)
Time Frame: 12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Evaluation of cognitive performance assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The MMSE score ranks from 0 to 30, with 30 being a normal congnitive performance and 0 serious cognitive impairments.
12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Evaluation of Cognitive Function at 12 months (MoCA)
Time Frame: 12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Evaluation of cognitive performance assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MoCA is scored out of 30 points, with high scores suggesting mild or no cognitive impairments, and low scores severe cognitive impairments.
12 months (+/- 30 days) post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Safety Outcomes
Time Frame: From day 0 until 12 months post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Incidence, nature, and severity of adverse events and serious adverse events occurring during the study period.
From day 0 until 12 months post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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