Tuesday, 23 September 2014

EECP: The New Hope for Heart Patients



Angina is a coronary artery disease, which happens when the heart does not get its usual supply of blood. When the vessels that carry the supply of blood to the heart become inoperative, it is mainly due being blocked or narrowed. When you feel that you are short of breath and certain tightness in the chest, then you may be suffering from an Angina attack. The symptoms of Angina may vary from one patient to another.

EECP also known as Enhanced External Counter Pulsation therapy is a heart blockage treatment, which is not only cost effective but also non-invasive treatment option for people that are suffering from heart diseases. This therapy does not need any painful or invasive procedures and there is also no need to get the hospitalization. All the people who undergo this treatment are able to live a normal life and resume their activities after they have received the treatment. 


The ideal patient for the EECP treatment is:

-          Person that has undergone the heart bypass surgery or angioplasty, however, there are still symptoms of breathlessness and chest pain.

-          If you have had a heart attack in the past that required intervention, then the chances are that your 50% cardiac muscles have already been damaged as a result of the heart attack. This condition is diagnosed on the ECG as poor functioning of the heart or nuclear cardiac test that reveals dead muscles.

-          One who cannot undergo the surgery due to diabetic condition, stroke, liver failure, diffuse heart blood vessel disease that makes you an illegible candidate for the invasive techniques?

-          One who belongs to an old age group and cannot go through the invasive surgeries without exposing themselves to the risk of complications. If you have been advised second bypass surgery even then you qualify for EECP.

-          One who has been advised to undergo invasive treatment like angioplasty or invasive bypass surgery but is unwilling to take the treatment out of their own choice. 

-          One who cannot undergo the weight loss program due to being overweight but wants to live the active life and need a jumpstart. 

EECP technique is relatively safe and has high results when it comes to the treatment. The patients report that their life has improved after undergoing the EECP treatment. Although there are many reasons why EECP has gained so much popularity in all these years, the most important of these reasons is that it is an outpatient procedure and a very comfortable one at that. You don’t need any piercing needles hence the risk of getting infected are lowered significantly. It has been declared safe by many doctors and hundreds of patients get treated using EECP and have experienced an improvement in their life soon after the treatment.

Apart from minor skin abrasions as a result from blood pressure cuffs, EECP is a safe process. For the discomfort due to cuffs, you can request the doctor to help you with extra padding. You may, however, experience slight fatigue in the beginning but it will subside after a few sessions. 

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