Who can benefit from EECP ?

• Those who have been advised bypass surgery and choose not to have it.
• Those who cannot afford the cost of bypass surgery.
• Those who have other diseases which make them unfit for surgery eg. coexisting Diabetes Mellitus, Bronchial Asthma, Kidney failure, Thyroid disorders, old age. i.e. more than 80 yrs.
• Those who have already had bypass surgery done a few years earlier and don't want to suffer the experience again.
• Those patients who cannot afford the exorbitant cost of angioplasty (up to Rs 3.75 lacs with two cipher stents and reopro).
• Those patients who have chest pain or breathlessness of cardiac origin and do not wish to undergo any further investigation can go for EECP directly.
• Patients whose stents have got blocked again.

EECP the acronym for Enhanced External Counter Pulsation is a noninvasive procedure to help patients with chest pains secondary to coronary heart disease (angina pectoris). EECP has been approved worldwide for the treatment of angina pectoris. Angina is the global terms for all symptoms associated with coronary artery disease, which occurs when the heart is not receiving enough blood. It occurs when vessels that carry blood to the heart muscle become dysfunctional, and are often narrowed or blocked. Angina may feel like chest pain or pressure shortness of breath, pain in the jaw, neck, arms, back, nausea, or generalized fatigue. Each patient experiences angina differently. EECP is a non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical, treatment for heart disease that is used to relieve or eliminate angina.

The treatment consists of 35 one-hour treatments over the course of seven weeks with the patient on a Monday through Friday regimen. During EECP therapy, the patient lies on a bed and pressure cuffs are attached to the calves, lower thighs and upper thighs. The patient's heart rate and rhythm are constantly measured during the process. The cuffs inflate and deflate, gradually building to full pressure while the machine works with the heart's rhythms. Evidence to date indicates that EECP treatment promote the growth of new blood vessels in the heart and improve blood flow to areas that are not getting enough blood and oxygen. This improved blood flow decreases chest pain symptoms.

The increased pressure imparted by the device forces blood to the patient's heart, increases the heart's output and promote the development of new pathways or collateral blood vessels effectively "bypassing" areas of stenosis and permitting blood to get to all areas of the heart, thereby decreasing exertional angina.

Hence it is often referred to as the NATURAL BYPASS. Unlike bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and stenting procedures, EECP is non-invasive, carries no risk, is comfortable, and is administered in outpatient sessions. Patients often watch television during the treatment. Others bring compact disks or cassette players to listen to music. The entire process from the patient's arrival to departure takes between one and one-half to two hours.