What is Enhanced External Counterpulsation? And where would I go for treatment?
Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a treatment for angina pectoris involving sequential inflation of cuffs (like a blood pressure cuff on the arm) on the lower legs and thighs. The cuffs are inflated during the relaxation phase of each heartbeat, timed by a continuous EKG tracing at the same time. The treatments last one hour and are usually performed once, sometimes twice, a day, about 5 days per week for a total of 35 hours. The treatment has been shown to produce improvement in blood flow to the heart that may last for up to 2 to 3 years in some patients, presumably due to the growth of new blood vessels in the heart muscle. Because the treatment has not been found to be better than the usual treatments for heart disease (angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery), it is not considered first-line treatment, but rather is used for those who have not improved with attempts at angioplasty or bypass, or in those for whom the risks of these procedures seem too high. However, medi
