EECP Therapy for Chronic Angina: What Research Shows

This post is an excerpt from an article originally published in 2012 by the National Library of Medicine. Click the link at the bottom to read the full article.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive treatment option for patients with chronic angina (persistent chest pain), particularly when medications alone do not provide adequate relief or when angioplasty or bypass surgery may not be suitable.

Key Findings

The study found that patients who underwent EECP experienced:

• Improved flexibility of the arteries, allowing blood to flow more efficiently.
• Reduced stiffness of the aorta and other major blood vessels.
• Lower workload on the heart, resulting in reduced myocardial oxygen demand.
• Better exercise capacity and delayed onset of angina symptoms during physical activity.
• Significant improvements compared with the sham treatment group.

What This Means for Patients

These findings suggest that EECP not only helps relieve angina symptoms but may also improve blood vessel function and reduce the heart's oxygen requirements. This may explain why many patients experience better exercise tolerance and an improved quality of life after completing a full course of EECP therapy.

While EECP is not a replacement for medications or revascularization in every patient, it is an evidence-based, non-invasive treatment option that can be considered in appropriately selected individuals after evaluation by a cardiologist.

Reference: Arora RR, et al. Effects of Enhanced External Counterpulsation on Arterial Stiffness and Myocardial Oxygen Demand in Patients with Chronic Angina Pectoris. American Journal of Cardiology. 2011.

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