External Counter Pulsation (ECP), also referred to as Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), is a noninvasive treatment for angina and blocked arteries in the heart. Since no surgery is needed you do not have to be admitted to the hospital; you are not cut and no devices are inserted into you. The treatment is very safe with no serious side effects reported in tens of thousands patients who have been studied worldwide.

The technique is based on pumping blood from the legs and sometimes arms back into the heart when the heart is in its resting phase known as diastole, resulting in increased blood flow to heart muscle and heart chambers, and therefore to all other organs in the body. The increased blood flowing through the vessel can also result in the production of new blood vessels in the heart muscle, called collateral circulation.

The increase in the amount of good vessels to carry the blood increases the oxygen available to the heart. Decreased oxygen in the heart muscle causes the angina and increasing the oxygen decreases or eliminates the angina. The reduction in the heart pain (angina) is one example of the heart working better. The other effects are increased energy, increased ability to do day to day activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, working and sexual intercourse. Since the heart is functioning better, the patient frequently takes less heart medication.

ECP is effective for patients with blocked arteries in their heart and angina, and ECP treatment of angina is covered by Medicare and many private insurance carriers. It has also been approved for the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The application for Medicare reimbursement for CHF is still under review.
Patients generally not eligible for treatment are:

• Those with atrial fibrillation or other serious arrhythmias
• Use of Coumadin or another anticoagulant
• Bleeding diathesis
• Aortic valve insufficiency
• Active thrombophlebitis
• Severe lower extremity vaso-occlusive disease
• Recent cardiac catheterization
• Aortic aneurysm requiring surgical repair
• Uncontrolled severe high blood pressure or rapid heart rate
• Pregnancy

Please consult with your doctor about ECP treatment for your condition.