StrokeSurvivorBlog

My husband, Steve, will start an ECP heart treatment next week to increase the circulation of blood flow to his heart. ECP or External Counter Pulsation is a non-invasion therapy for the treatment of congestive heart failure and advanced angina pectoris.  When the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygenated blood, it sends a signal to the body in the form of pain called angina pectoris.

Steve’s arteries and blood vessels have been narrowed over the years by a build-up of plaque. He had quadruple by-pass surgery in 2000 to open up blocked arteries. But unfortunately, three months after the surgery, the arteries closed up again. An angiogram showed that his heart disease was very progressive and his doctor told him nothing else could be done. We were told that he should “put his house in order” because he had about two years left to live. Well, can you imagine getting that kind of news?! It took the wind out of his sails, and for the last nine years Steve has suffered with a lot of chest pain (angina) and shortness of breath, and more recently, wheezing caused by congestive heart failure.

When Steve had the stroke in 2008, it was like one more “nail in the coffin”…that is until his new cardiologist enrolled him in the ECP heart treatment therapy. It gave him renewed hope.

We first heard about the ECP system back in 2000 when the Minneapolis Heart Institute was doing a clinical trial on it. Steve was eligible for the study, but it required 35 visits, (five 1-hour sessions a week  for 7 weeks) and we didn’t want to move to Minneapolis for seven weeks.

The ECP heart treatment increases the circulation of the blood to the heart where it is then pumped throughout the body. It works like cardio passive exercise. It’s passive exercise because you’re not working the muscles of the body, but it’s cardio because the  heart muscle is worked when the blood is pumped to it.

Our cardiologist specializes in non-invasive cardiology, and he was very instrumental in acquiring the Cardiomedics External Counter Pulsation CardiAssist system for the Bellin Health cardiology clinic in Green Bay. This made it very convenient for us to have it so close by, even though it is a commitment for the next 7-8 weeks. But the benefits are worth it, and Steve can have a new lease on life.

According to the Cardiomedics, Inc. patient brochure, this is how the ECP system works:

“Counter pulsation occurs while the heart is resting (diastole). It is during diastole that the CardiAssist system actually pumps, sending blood back to the heart.  Air is inflated into a series of cuffs placed on your calves, thighs and buttocks. The system compresses your lower extremities in sequence (like a wave) which increases blood flow back toward your heart. The inflation of these cuffs is timed to your heartbeat so the blood arrives at precisely the time the heart relaxes. A fraction of a second before your heart beats again, the cuffs are instantaneously deflated, enabling the blood in your heart to be pumped (systole), with minimal resistance. This decreases the amount of work your heart must perform.”

Cardiomedics, Inc. offers testimonials and more information about the ECP system.