Dr Pranav Kabra EECP expert: Active EECP therapy can completely eliminate the need for Bypass Surgery

MUMBAI: While Enhanced External counter pulsation (EECP) is a US-FDA-approved treatment for patients with heart blockages and as an alternative to Bypass Surgery, also offered in India, Active EECP is a comparatively new and more effective technology using the latest (2022 models) EECP machines in the market along cardiac and medical consultation and other treatment.

What is Active EECP?
EECP uses three cuffs (similar to blood pressure cuffs) that are placed on the calves, legs and hip region of the patient, which contract sequentially during the resting phase of the heart (diastole) of the cardiac cycle.

Active EECP improves chest pain symptoms and exercise capacity and reduces dependency on chest pain (angina) medicines of the patient. Along with a proper diet, it also aids in weight loss and helps fight chronic fatigue syndrome.

Active EECP is also shown to be beneficial in patients suffering from congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and a host of other lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity.

The normal EECP course is a 35-day, one hour daily, six days a week course. The Active EECP course consists of 40-sessions, one hour daily with a break on Sundays or once a week and uses a more advanced machine with the latest tech and software.

The course of the therapy can be extended for patients who do not develop an improvement in symptoms until late in the therapy.

Active EECP is a totally safe, non-invasive treatment for patients with chronic stable angina with no requirement for hospitalization and can be done on a day care basis and patients can continue with their daily routine, after the one-hour treatment schedule.

Active EECP treatment benefits heart patients by establishing collateral circulation and creating natural bypass system for the blood vessels in our body.

Collateral circulation is the formation of tiny blood vessels, which make it possible for blood to detour around blocked blood vessels or narrowed arteries due to plaque. Development of collateral circulation is gradual and takes years in the normal course of action.

However, Active EECP triggers and accelerates this collateral formations and makes it permanent for those who receive the complete treatment of 35 sessions.

The cuffs of the Active EECP machine are tied on the calves, legs and hip region of the patients.

ECG electrodes are applied to the patient’s chest, the cuffs applied sequentially pump during the resting phase of the heart.

First the calves, then the thighs, and then the hips inflate during the resting phase of the heart.

This increases the blood flow back to the heart and increases the blood supply to the coronary arteries, and also increases the blood pumped by the heart to the other organs of the body.

Active EECP treatment is safe and involves no risk during the procedure. After taking the entire course of the treatment, patients can walk for longer distances, without chest pain and with less or no angina (chest pain) and reduced dependency on chest pain medicines. It also increases their stamina, youthfulness and body energy.

Active EECP treatment helps solves problems like erectile dysfunction, fatigue, blood pressure and related cardiac issues, opines Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Malad in suburban Mumbai.

Patients feel more energetic and his/her quality of life improves as he is able to undertake or do more physical work.

The benefits of Active EECP can last up to three to five years after completing the full course of 40 sessions.

The Active EECP treatment is safe and effective and even a healthy individual (without cardiac issues) can take it to further enhance his/her heart condition, stamina and cardiovascular functionality.

Once a patient undergoes the Active EECP treatment of 40 sessions, a noticeable improvement can be observed in their angina (chest) pain, diabetes, hypertension, kidney function, post-stroke conditions, and in some cases, erectile dysfunction in case of males.

Patients who have already undergone angiography or bypass surgery can also take Active EECP treatment to improve their angina pain and avoid future surgeries. This is because unlike bypass surgery and angioplasty, Active EECP targets the entire heart and cardiovascular system altogether and improves overall heart circulation.

In a multicenter study that EECP (MUST-EECP) conducted, in which 139 patients with chronic stable angina were randomly given a full course of EECP or control group with minimal pressure. The reports showed significant improvement in exercise capacity as compared to the control group. These results were maintained 12 months after EECP. Patients taking EECP showed a reduction in intensity and frequency in chest pain as compared to before taking the treatment.

In another study conducted, it showed that patients who have taken the EECP had averted major cardiovascular events as compared to the patients who had not taken the treatment. The overall five-year survival of EECP patients was 88 percent as compared to patients on medical management or revascularization. There is an 83 percent reduction in hospitalization rate as compared to six months before EECP.

The Prospective Evaluation of Enhanced External Counterpulsation in Congestive Heart Failure (PEECH) trial had done a study on 187 patients with stable symptomatic mild to moderate heart failure LVEF<35. The group of patients on EECP demonstrated significant improvement in exercise time as compared to the control group (patients who were not given EECP).

In a study conducted on 108 patients, EECP demonstrated a reduction in the systolic blood pressure at the end of the therapy.

EECP is used successfully for chest pain treatment and congestive heart failure showing an improved exercise capacity. Decreased chest pain and dependency on angina medicines and improved myocardial perfusion.