The Sanger Clinic treats many patients with angina. Angina signals that a part of your heart muscle is not receiving an adequate supply of blood and oxygen. The heart requires a particularly rich blood supply because of its heavy workload, and receives this nourishment through the coronary arteries. When these vessels are narrowed or blocked, restricting blood flow, they fail to supply adequate oxygen.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation® (EECP) may stimulate the formation of small new branches of blood vessels to create a natural bypass around narrowed or blocked arteries.

The EECP® system compresses your lower limbs to increase blood flow toward your heart. Each wave of pressure is electronically timed to your heartbeat, so that the increased blood flow is delivered to your heart at the precise moment it is relaxing. When the heart pumps again, pressure is released instantaneously. This lowers resistance in the blood levels of your legs so that blood may be pumped more easily from the heart. During counterpulsation the EECP® system pumps when your heart is resting and releases pressure when your heart is working.

Sanger Clinic cardiologists will evaluate patients carefully to determine if EECP® might be an appropriate treatment. Patients with the following conditions might be candidates:

• Angina which cannot be treated with bypass surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) such as angioplasty and stent, or optimal medical therapy.
• Bypass surgery or PCI is not an option
• Bypass surgery or PCI did not relieve angina

Once the cardiologist has determined that a patient is eligible for EECP® treatment, patients commit to a treatment schedule. Patients typically attend one-hour treatment sessions once a day, five days a week for seven weeks. Many people receive treatment by scheduling sessions before or after work. Each treatment takes approximately one hour.