Ischemic preconditioning is a simple non-invasive procedure which consists of 4 consecutive episodes of brief ischemia caused by placing a pneumatic cuff at the level of the brachial artery and inflating it to 200 mm Hg for 2.5 minutes, followed by 2.5 minutes of reperfusion. Over 20 years IPC has generated tremendous scientific interest being described as the most powerful available form of in vivo protection against ischemic injury.