Spotlight On: EECP

Can you tell me about EECP as a treatment for chest pain?

Our expert this month is Mike Goodman, CNMT, EECP of the UVA Heart and Vascular Center.

What does EECP stand for and what does it do?  

EECP is enhanced external counter pulsation. It’s a safe, non-invasive and high-tech procedure that was created to help overcome heart disease by strengthening the heart muscle and by targeting the inflammation that can obstruct blood flow. EECP is performed on an outpatient basis and offers great and proven results for some of the potentially disabling symptoms of stable angina (chest pain) and coronary artery disease (heart disease). 

Who benefits from EECP? 

People who have chronic stable angina, shortness of breath, pressure or discomfort in the chest, exercise intolerance and fatigue. Most patients have a long history of coronary artery disease and have been treated with both interventional procedures and medications and are at a point that their physician feels they have little else to offer.  

How long are the sessions? Are they invasive or painful?  

A session lasts 1 hour. There are no IVs and the procedure is not invasive at all. Pressure pants are placed on the patient’s legs along with an EKG. The pants are squeezed once every cardiac cycle for an hour. This procedure is repeated every business day for 35 days. That’s it. After 2 to 3 weeks, we start to see patients take less nitroglycerin, sleep better, have more energy, and a general desire to get back to a more normal routine. Along with the EECP program, we strongly encourage patients to start working out in our Cardiac Rehab Program at Northridge. Most patients start to feel so much better that they want to start an exercise program.  

How does this therapy differ from other options?  

Most physicians want to help patients by giving them medicine or taking them to surgery to help relieve their symptoms. Many doctors are unaware of the benefits of EECP or don’t have access to EECP therapy so, unfortunately, it rarely gets prescribed. Research shows, however, that with EECP there is evidence that angiogenesis can occur. Angiogenesis is when new vascular beds are created around the areas of the heart where there is a lack of blood flow due to a heart attack or occlusion. Here at UVA, our EECP program has been around for 8 years and all of our patients have a good experience and great results. 

What improvements might I expect if I am a candidate for EECP? 

Most patients start to feel the results right away. Within 2 to 3 weeks, I have seen people, who normally take nitroglycerin 3 to 4 times per day, reduce that to none or only a few per week. They are able to get out of the house to watch football games, play with their grandchildren or go shopping for the first time in years. Most patients are good candidates for EECP. There are only a few reasons for exclusion. EECP is safe, non-invasive and has many benefits. Currently, more research is going on that shows EECP therapy can also benefit people with restless leg syndrome, erectile dysfunction and even renal disease.