Enhanced external counterpulsation creates acute blood flow patterns responsible for improved flow-mediated dilation in humans

Changes of cerebral blood flow velocities during enhanced external counterpulsation.

OBJECTIVES Intra-aortic counterpulsation is the most frequently used cardiac assist device. However, there are only few studies of the effects of counterpulsation on cerebral blood flow and these report conflicting outcomes. The new enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) technique reproduces non-invasively the effects of intra-aortic counterpulsation. In this study, we evaluated effects of E...

Enhanced external counterpulsation improves peripheral artery flow-mediated dilation in patients with chronic angina: a randomized sham-controlled study.

BACKGROUND Mechanisms responsible for anti-ischemic benefits of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) remain unknown. This was the first randomized sham-controlled study to investigate the extracardiac effects of EECP on peripheral artery flow-mediated dilation. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty-two symptomatic patients with coronary artery disease were randomized (2:1 ratio) to thirty-five 1-hou...

Assessment of Flow Mediated Dilation (fmd) in Humans:

Atherosclerosis impairs flow-mediated dilation of coronary arteries in humans.

Studies in animals have suggested that increases in blood flow result in dilation of large arteries by an endothelium-dependent mechanism. Atherosclerosis can impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation to vasoactive agents. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not large coronary arteries in humans exhibit dilation with increases in blood flow and to test the hypothesis that this...

Acute hemodynamic effects of enhanced external counterpulsation

In the United States, there are about 17.6 million patients suffer from symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), affecting 7.9% of adults ≥ 20 years of age.1 An estimated 10.2 million patients have angina, and 500,000 patients will develop new angina pectoris each year.1 A subset of angina patients are categorized as refractory when symptoms continue despite optimal medical therapy and revasc...