Enhanced External CounterPulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive treatment for advanced coronary disease incompletely treated by corrective surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention. The technique involves pressure cuffs placed on the lower extremities and buttocks that sequentially inflate and deflate in relation to the cardiac cycle. This enhances diastolic blood pressure and increases coronary artery perfusion. Other beneficial hemodynamic changes also occur. The result is the encouragement of coronary "collateral" blood vessels to grow and cause functional auto-bypasses to develop.
The treatment is most helpful to those patients with angina that receive limited benefit from medications and procedures to correct the problem. It is performed in the office and requires no needles or "invasive" procedures. An hour per day for 35 treatments is needed to get optimal benefit. All patients are carefully evaluated before and during treatment and the risk of causing any harm is slight.
If this is a treatment option you would like to explore please talk to one of our staff and we will be happy to arrange evaluation.