OBJECTIVES: Acute STEMI is routinely treated by acute PCI. This treatment may itself damage the tissue (reperfusion injury). Conditioning with GLP-1 analogs has been shown to reduce reperfusion injury. Likewise, ischemic postconditioning provides cardioprotection following STEMI. We tested if combined conditioning with the GLP-1 analog liraglutide and ischemic postconditioning offered additive cardioprotective effect after reperfusion of 45 min coronary occlusion of left anterior descending artery (LAD).

DESIGN: Fifty-eight non-diabetic female Danish Landrace pigs (60 ± 10kg) were randomly assigned to four groups. Myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by occluding the LAD for 45 min. Group 1 (n = 14) was treated with i.v. liraglutide after 15 min of ischemia. Group 2 (n = 17) received liraglutide treatment concomitant with ischemic postconditioning, after 45 min of ischemia. Group 3 (n = 15) recieved ischemic postconditioning and group 4 (n = 12) was kept as controls.

RESULTS: No intergroup differences in relative infarct size were detected (overall mean 57 ± 3%; p = 0.68). Overall mortality was 34% (CI 25-41%) including 26% post-intervention, with no intergroup differences (p = 0.99). Occurrence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) was 59% (CI 25-80%) including 39% postintervention with no intergroup differences (p = 0.65).

CONCLUSIONS: In our closed-chest pig-model, we were unable to detect any cardioprotective effect of liraglutide or ischemic postconditioning either alone or combined.