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Heart patients who have undergone bypass surgery and angioplasty without much success can now benefit from a non-invasive treatment for angina and heart failure at a fraction of cost incurred on the surgical procedures. The process is called Enhanced External Counterpulsation, or EECP.
The FDA-approved treatment improves blood circulation in the heart typically used in patients suffering from angina. The out-patient procedure also is seen as an alternative to bypass surgery for patients suffering from congestive heart failure or coronary artery disease, Consultant cardiologist at Aga Khan University Hospital,Dr Nageeb Basir explained to a media workshop recently.
Dr Basir, alongwith Dr Bashir Hanif were addressing a workshop on ‘non-invasive cardiac revascularization or revascularisation to treat angina and heart failure.’ The speakers elaborated that patients who had undergone EECP therapy follow a normal life pattern free of angina, shortness of breath, fatigue or a decreased ability to exercise and engage in activities of daily living.
“EECP therapy is a very beneficial treatment for patients with difficult to treat heart disease,” said Dr Basir. “Typically 80 or 85 per cent of patients completing a course of therapy experience prompt and significant relief of their symptoms, and improvement in their activity levels. For the greater majority of patients the benefits persist for more than two years.”
EECP therapy utilizes three sets of blood pressure-like cuffs wrapped around the legs and buttocks that inflate and deflate with the patient’s heartbeat, increasing blood flow and oxygen to the heart and other organs. This increase blood flow, eliminating the symptoms of ischemia and decreases the need for anti-anginal medications in most patients.