What is EECP ?

Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) is performed as a non-invasive treatment to lower the number and intensity of angina episodes. Treatment is administered through three pairs of external inflatable cuffs that are applied around the lower legs, upper legs and buttocks. These cuffs continuously inflate and deflate between the resting period of the heartbeat and increase blood returned to the heart.
The basic principle of EECP treatment involves increasing the amount of blood returning to the heart, which helps supply more oxygen to its starved areas. With more oxygen available, the heart can function much more efficiently and therefore reduce chest pain. Eligible patients are those who have had coronary artery bypass or stents placed in the coronary arteries with ongoing angina or those who are not candidates for bypass or stents but continue to suffer from angina. These patients must have undergone all other possible medical therapies to be considered eligible for the procedure.

Benefits of EECP Treatment

EECP Treatment has numerous benefits like Increase in energy, helps in reducing chest pain, oxygen supply to heart increased. A small randomized trial showed that EECP significantly improved both the symptoms of angina (a subjective measurement) and exercise tolerance (a more objective measurement) in patients with CAD. While EECP is safe and effective for the treatment of angina in patients with a history of CHF, it is generally given as a full course of treatment lasting more than 30 hours.
The typical EECP course involves 35 one-hour sessions that the patient attends each week, Monday through Friday. However, two sessions can be completed per day if the patient so desires and is able to tolerate the sessions. The course of therapy can be extended for patients who do not start to develop improvement of their symptoms until late in the course of therapy. Additional treatment hours may be considered on a case-by-case basis for the patient to reach individual treatment objectives. Specifically, for patients who initially present with angina, a reduction of symptom frequency and/or intensity would be a measurement of progress. For patients with co morbidities or physical limiting factors, the therapy may be less effective and additional hours of treatment may be warranted. Repeat EECP may be required in about 20% of patients, especially if they failed to complete the initial 35-hours of EECP therapy.

Overall, EECP has been proven to be a safe therapy, as reported by the International EECP patient registry (IEPR) in 2000. Of 2511 patients treated, 0.3% died, 0.9% had a myocardial infarction, 0.2% had bypass grafting, and 0.8% had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during the treatment period.
Patients who are accepted for treatment must undergo 35 hours of EECP therapy. Treatment is administered 1-2 hours a day, five days a week, for 7 weeks. Published studies conducted at numerous medical centers have demonstrated benefits for most patients including:
Less need for anti-angina medication

• Decrease in symptoms of angina
• Increased ability to do activities without onset of symptoms
• Ability to return to enjoyable activities