Effect of remote ischemic preconditioning on hepatic microcirculation and function in a rat model of hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury.

Background: Liver transplantation involves a period of ischemia and reperfusion to the graft which leads to primary non-function and dysfunction of the liver in 5-10% of cases. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been shown to reduce ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) injury to the liver and increase hepatic blood flow. We hypothesized that RIPC may directly modulate hepatic microcirculation and have investigated this using intravital microscopy.