Amir Shaban, MD, and Enrique Leira, MD, MS have received a grant funding from the University of Iowa for Translational Stroke Studies. This pilot grant funding will support studying neuroprotection during acute stroke transport. 

The grant entitled “Ischemic Conditioning during AirtRansport saves penUmbral tiSsue (ICARUS)” and will study the effects of ischemic conditioning applied during air transport of patients with suspected large vessel stroke.

Every year 800,000 people have a stroke in the USA, often due to a large vessel occlusion amenable to mechanical thrombectomy for up to 24 hours after symptoms onset. In rural areas patients present initially to small hospitals where they are stabilized before being transferred to a thrombectomy-capable center like UIHC by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services. Still, those flights are long and by the time they arrive to UIHC the infarct core might be too large to treat. There is an unmet need for neuroprotection during transport to preserve the salvageable tissue in transport. Remote limb ischemic conditioning is a safe intervention that targets multiple pathways of neuroprotection including upregulation of vasodilating mediators and antiinflammation.

Proving safety, feasibility and efficacy of ischemic conditioning for large vessel occlusion strokes would have major impact on outcomes of stroke patients especially in rural areas. 

The study will facilitate future neuroprotective interventions use during air transport which is crucial not only for stroke but for many other neurological and medical conditions.