BACKGROUND Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive, pneumatic technique that provides favourable effects in patients with coronary artery disease. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term effect of EECP on endothelial function in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy. METHOD The study was performed in 15 patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy. All subjects...

BACKGROUND In coronary artery disease patients, enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) improves peripheral arterial function and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT). We sought to evaluate the effects of EECP on outcomes of arterial function, glucose tolerance, and skeletal muscle morphology in subjects with AGT...

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...

AIMS To examine if the skin microvascular bed is altered and can be modified by enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) in patients with chronic refractory angina. METHODS Twenty patients diagnosed with refractory angina were divided into EECP (n = 10) or no EECP (n = 10) groups. The data were compared to matched healthy subjects (n = 20). The cutaneous forearm microvascular blood flow was ...

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a common side effect of cyclophosphamide therapy, which deserves new therapeutic strategies, such as those based on natural products. The ethanol extract of the inner bark of Caesalpinia pyramidalis (Tul.) (EECp) possesses anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antioxidant activities as previously showed by our group. We have investigated the effect of EECp on the ...

INTRODUCTION Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive outpatient treatment used for patients with intractable angina refractory to aggressive surgical and medical treatment. Recent results have demonstrated a positive impact of EECP on patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD)-associated erectile dysfunction (ED). AIM To assess the effect of IHD duration and number of EECP ...

BACKGROUND Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive, pneumatic technique that provides beneficial effects for patients with chronic, symptomatic angina pectoris. However, the physiological effects of EECP have not been studied directly. We examined intracoronary and left ventricular hemodynamics in the cardiac catheterization laboratory during EECP. METHODS AND RESULTS Ten p...

BACKGROUND An increasing number of clinical studies indicates reduction of angina and myocardial ischemia by enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy. However, given the wide range of contraindications and the long duration of treatment, eligibility and practicality issues have not been addressed systematically. HYPOTHESIS Of all candidates for EECP (patients with drug-refractory ang...

BACKGROUND Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) reduces angina and extends time to exercise-induced ischemia in patients with symptomatic coronary disease. One- and two-center studies and a retrospective case series reported that EECP improves myocardial perfusion in stable angina pectoris. We sought to critically evaluate and quantify the effect of EECP on myocardial perfusion. METHODS ...

OBJECTIVE Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive treatment that is proven safe and effective in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF). The aims of this study are to investigate the clinical effects of EECP therapy in patients with symptomatic CAD and chronic HF, and to find out an answer to the question: Does EECP therapy have any effect on the p...