Protecting the heart by postconditioning

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the UK (accounting for 105,000 deaths in 2004) and exerts a huge burden, both on our healthcare system (around £3,500 million in 2003) and on our economy (£7.9 billion per year). Following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the 30-day mortality remains significant at around 10%, despite successful reperfusion therapy, instituted by either thrombolysis or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), paving the way for novel cardioprotective strategies to be developed.