 Investigations of various exogenous circulating ligands such as the delta active opiates and opioids simulate the phenomenon of IPC thus protecting the downstream tissues without the IPC intermittent ligating procedure.Methods to either mimic or elicit IPC have been attempted in clinical practice, in the area of coronary heart disease in an attempt to limit the injury caused to the heart via ischemia and reperfusion injury.Such injury would occur when a patient has an acute myocardial infarct followed by reperfusion by either percutaneous coronary intervention or thrombolysis.