Enhanced External Counterpulsation - EECP |
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EECP is a mechanical procedure in which long inflatable
cuffs (like blood pressure cuffs) are wrapped around both of the patient’s
legs. While the patient lies on a bed, the leg cuffs are inflated and
deflated with each heartbeat. This is accomplished by means of a computer,
which triggers off the patient’s ECG so that the cuffs deflate
just as each heartbeat begins, and inflate just as each heartbeat ends.
When the cuffs inflate they do so in a sequential fashion, so that
the blood in the legs is “milked” upwards, toward the heart
EECP has two potentially beneficial actions on the heart. |
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The milking action of the leg cuffs increases the blood
flow to the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries, unlike other
arteries in the body, receive their blood flow after each heartbeat
instead of during each heartbeat. EECP, effectively, “pumps”
blood into the coronary arteries. |
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By its deflating action just as the
heart begins to beat,EECP creates something like a sudden vacuum in the arteries, which
reduces the work of the heart muscle in pumping blood into the arteries. |
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Both of these actions have long been known to reduce
cardiac ischaemia, the lack of oxygen to the heart muscle, in patients
with coronary artery disease. Indeed, an invasive procedure that does
the same thing, intra-aortic counterpulsation, IACP in which a balloon-tipped
catheter is positioned in the aorta, which then inflates and deflates
in time with the heartbeat, has been in widespread use in intensive
care units for decades, and its effectiveness in stabilizing extremely
unstable patients is well known.
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Patients receive five one-hour sessions per week, for seven weeks,
for a total of thirty five sessions. The thirty five one-hour sessions
are aimed at provoking long lasting beneficial changes in the circulatory
system. Barnsley was one of the first NHS Hospitals in the country
to provide EECP treatment and now is one of the leading Trusts providing
this form of cardiac revascularisation on the NHS. |
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You may be a candidate for EECP if you: |
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Have chronic stable angina or diagnosed heart failure. |
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Are not receiving adequate relief from angina by taking medication. |
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Do not qualify as a candidate for invasive procedures. |
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Have exhausted invasive treatments without lasting relief of
symptoms. |
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Are unwilling to undergo surgery or angioplasty. |
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Want to explore alternatives to bypass surgery or angioplasty. |
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Does EECP offer new hope? |
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For patients who have undergone multiple invasive procedures
and for whom addition surgery carries excessive risk, EECP may be the
only way to obtain relief form severe angina or heart failure symptoms.
There is an increasing trend internationally for patients who have
significant risk factors such as obesity, strong family history of
heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and high blood pressure
to undergo EECP treatment on a prophylactic basis; i.e. before the
onset of angina or heart problems. Speak to your doctor if you are
unsure if EECP may be suitable for your condition. Suitability for
EECP treatment must be decided by a cardiologist. |
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Click
here to read the story
of Ray Hunt who is one of our clients and who has raised many thousands
of pounds for the EECP machine at Barnsley Hospital. |
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Clinical Studies show: |
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Reduced frequency or complete elimination of angina
symptoms. |
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Better ability to exercise free from chest pain and breathlessness. |
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Decrease in need for anti-angina nitrate medication |
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Decreased exercise-induced signs of angina on ECG |
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Increased blood supply to heart muscle, demonstrated by myocardial
perfusion scan techniques
before and after EECP namely: |
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Cardiovascular MRI |
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Technetium scan |
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Stress ECHO test |
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| Click here to see a schematic
representation of EECP |
Peter Scott - Team Leader
