The term stands for Enhanced External Counterpulsation.

"Enhanced" refers to the equipment that has evolved over decades of research and development to become the state-of-the-art treatment delivery system now used in EECP^® treatment centers.

"External" means treatment happens outside of your body and doesn’t require surgery.

"Counterpulsation" we have to understand the cardiac cycle, the period from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The cardiac cycle includes diastole (when the heart relaxes and fills with blood) and systole (when the heart contracts and pumps blood out to the body.)

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 vessels of your legs so that blood may be pumped more easily from the heart, decreasing the amount of work required of your heart muscle.

You may feel a little tired after your first treatment session, but your are unlikely to experience any unpleasant after effects. You may be given an Angina diary in which you can record any episodes of angina and your use of nitroglycerin. This record may be helpful in tracking your progress.

Because each individual’s condition is unique, there is no special time when you can expect to feel an improvement. Experience has shown that some patients tend to report improvement about halfway through their course of treatment.

The length of treatment may be a consideration for some people. A course of EECP^® treatment typically takes seven weeks to complete. During that time, patients must visit an outpatient clinic and receive treatments for one hour a day. Some patients may require more that one course of therapy to achieve optimal level of relief.

Unlike procedures such as bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty, EECP^® treatment is administered on an outpatient basis and does not involve any period of post treatment recuperation.

Some patients have experienced minor skin irritation due to the pressure of the cuffs. You should consult your physician regarding any risk and complications factors.

However every precaution is taken prior to starting treatment to minimize any skin problem. The therapist checks the patient’s legs after each treatment.

There are several other treatment options including bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and drug therapy. Discuss options with a physician to determine which course of treatment is most suitable for you?

In 1989, researcher at State University of New York at Stony Brook began clinical studies of EECP^® treatment. Until the summer of 1995, EECP^® therapy was only available to patients participating in clinical studies. Today therapy is available at treatments centers throughout the country.

You may park in the garage that connects to the hospital. Take the bridge on the yellow level of the parking garage directly into the hospital. This is the first floor. Proceed straight ahead towards the D elevators. Our office is immediately to the right of these elevators, Suite 100. You may check in with the receptionist.

Yes. You can make arrangements with the staff of EECP^® Center of Pittsburgh to have your appointment scheduled at the same time every day. Every attempt is made by the staff to give you an appointment time that will work with your schedule. Even if you are still working. We know that your time is valuable and we make every attempt to run our schedule on time. Our hours of operation are Monday to Friday 7:00 am to 5:30 pm.

You will be able to access a map from this website to give you precise driving instructions to get to the hospital. If your are not able to print the map from here, you may telephone the office and a map will be sent to your home.

Treatment pants will be provided for you to wear during your seven weeks of therapy. There is no charge for the pants and they are yours to keep. We do ask that patents wear panty hose under the treatment pants, and button down shirts. The panty hose will help to reduce any skin irritation and the button down shirts make for easy access to the area for your ECG.

• Arrive 10-15 minutes before your scheduled appointment
• Take all medications as instructed
• Try not to eat 1 hour before treatment ( except for medication
• You may bring music to listen to (CD player or tape player with earphones), or something to read. The television is located on the wall behind each treatment table. Earphones are available for you may or you may choose to bring your own
• A friend or relative may stay with you during the treatment if you wish. Most patients if able to drive are able to drive themselves home after the treatment is finished

For any further patient or physician information please log onto www.vasomedical.com