Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) on cerebral hemodynamics and short-term prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods A total of 80 AIS patients admitted to the Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Hefei from December 2024 to April 2025 were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group using a random number table. The control group received standard drug therapy, while the treatment group received RIC once daily for 7 consecutive days on the basis of standard drug therapy. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) parameters of the bilateral middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) were compared between the two groups at admission and on day 7 of the disease course, including peak systolic velocity (PSV), mean flow velocity(MFV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI). The proportion of patients with favorable outcomes at 90 days of the disease course was compared between the two groups; a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0 ~ 1 was defined as a favorable outcome.Results Among the 80 eligible AIS patients who were randomly assigned, 68 (85%) completed the trial, the treatment group 33 cases, the control group 35 cases. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the treatment group and the control group. No statistically significant differences were found in age, gender composition, smoking rate, prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia, homocysteine level, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission, mRS score on admission, or the rate of favorable functional outcome at 90 days after onset (all P > 0.05). Significant differences were observed in the changes (before vs. after treatment) of PI and RI of the right middle cerebral artery between the two groups (both P < 0.05). Specifically, the changes in PI and RI values of the right middle cerebral artery before and after treatment in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group.Conclusion Short-term RIC can improve cerebral hemodynamics and reduce distal cerebral vascular resistance in AIS patients, but it has no significant effect on favorable outcomes at 90 days of the disease course. A longer course of adaptive treatment may be required to observe its short-term and long-term effects.