Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP)

The Dept. of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation has been set up with the aim to provide the third option to cardiac patients. For a patient suffering from heart disease, angioplasty and bypass surgery are not the only solutions. The department has housed cutting edge EECP technology, a revolutionary new non surgical cardiac treatment option for patients. EECP is an FDA approved modality for the treatment of angina & heart failure (low heart pumping capacity) patients. We do the highest number of EECP / ECP procedures in the country.

What is an EECP / ECP treatment?

Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP / ECP) is a non invasive procedure that may reduce the symptoms of chronic angina by stimulating the formation of small branches of blood vessels (collaterals) which circumvent the blocked arteries.

ECP is as simple as 1, 2, 3

Step 1 - ECP pumps, sending oxygenated blood to the heart during diastole (when the heart is resting).

Step 2 - ECP stops pumping just before the heart pumps, leaving the blood vessels open without resistance.

Step 3 - Over the treatment period your angina is reduced, or may even be eliminated

How will I benefit?

External counter pulsation has produced positive effects in patients with coronary artery disease. Some of the benefits are as given below:

The Asian Heart Institute (AHI) Advantage.

The EECP / ECP facility at AHI is designed to increase the ejection fraction (EF)-pumping capacity of the heart and improve the exercise capacity. An analysis of 50 patients with heart failure (EF< 35%) who received the ECP treatment showed encouraging results. There was a significant improvement in the ejection fraction, 6 minutes walk distance & quality of life.

Heart failure patients usually suffer from a very poor quality of life. Post ECP therapy, a significant improvement was seen in both the physical and mental components in the quality of life test as assessed by the SF -36 quality of life questionnaire.

The quality of life was measured in fifty patients using the SF-36 questionnaire. The results showed statistically significant improvement in both physical health by 22.3% and mental well-being by 17% of patients.