The present invention relates to an agent for reducing ischaemic damage to an organ, in particular to a heart and a brain, pharmaceutical compositions comprising said agent and the use of said agent for the treatment of ischaemic diseases to the heart and the brain. The agent comprises a substituted 4-phenyl-4-[1H-imidazol-2-yl]-piperidine derivative according to Formula (I) ##STR00001## the pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base addition salts thereof, the stereochemically isomeric forms thereof, the tautomeric forms thereof, the N-oxide forms thereof and the prodrugs thereof. In particular are claimed the compounds according to Formula (I) in which A=B is C.dbd.O or SO.sub.2, X is a covalent bond, R.sup.1 is alkyloxy, alkyloxyalkyl, Ar or NR.sup.9R.sup.10, wherein R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 each independently are hydrogen or Ar; or A=B and R.sup.1 together form a benzoxazolyl radical; p is zero, R.sup.3 is benzyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, alkyl or alkyloxycarbonyl and R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each are hydrogen. The use of said agents has important clinical ramifications with regard to the reduction of ischaemic damage to an organ in a mammal, in particular to a heart and/or a brain, the prevention of coronary artery diseases in a mammal by inducing a cardioprotective effect and the treatment and prevention of stroke.