Wonder Alternative to Heart Bypass Surgery|EECP|A Natural Heart Bypass

Here is an alternative to heart bypass surgery called, External Counterpulsation Therapy (EECP), which is a non-invasive outpatient treatment for angina and congestive heart failure, responsible for highest number of hospitalizations in our country. This EECP treatment, which is often called natural heart bypass, is a wonder alternative to bypass surgery without having the heart bypass surgery risks. The benefits of this natural therapy are yet to be fully comprehended, especially due to poor awareness among us. This may be also due to the fact that physicians are not popularizing this process as it may pose a threat to the multimillion dollar open heart surgery industry, which is prospering on continuous supply of heart patients to the cardiac surgery suites of the big hospitals by the practicing cardiologists, in spite of exorbitant cost and pain to the patients.

Advantages of External Counterpulsation Therapy

External Counterpulsation Therapy (EECP treatment) is a natural heart bypass with amazing success rate and does not involve hospitalization, anesthesia, surgery or even any specific medicines in treatment for angina and heart failure. Unlike invasive heart bypass surgery, External Counterpulsationis is a natural therapy, relaxing and is absolutely free from the risks normally associated with heart bypass surgery. EECP treatment is highly cost effective, which costs only 1/4th of the cost of surgery or angioplasty and is normally carried out in out-patient sessions. The only downside is that this wonder alternative to heart bypass surgery is too good to be true and it takes sometime to comprehend and say yes to it. Curious? Read on….

Benefits of External Counterpulsation Therapy

Well, let’s take a look at all the pain and trauma an ‘angina’ patient has to go through to get an idea of the benefits of this natural heart bypass, as an alternative to bypass surgery. Angina symptoms occur when vessels that carry blood to the heart muscle become dysfunctional, and are often narrowed or blocked. It is known that most patients, who suffer from ‘Angina’, complain of discomfort in the chest provoked by mental, physical or emotional stress. They also complain of breathing problem, fatigue, indigestion and other symptoms. The doctors usually control such complains by medication. However, we have also seen that when normal treatment for angina by medications becomes ineffective over time, invasive heart bypass surgery is recommended by the doctors in such cases. But invasive procedures have their problems too – apart from being very expensive, they sometimes fail and pose life risks to the patients. Moreover, who wouldn’t like to avoid the associated heart bypass surgery risks if an alternative to heart bypass surgery is available? Here comes the advantage of External Counterpulsation Therapy.

How does External Counterpulsation Therapy work?

External Counterpulsation Therapy is a high-tech treatment carried out entirely by a computerized machine. The patient lies on a special type of bed of the machine and soft pads, very similar to blood pressure pads, are tied to both his legs, below the knees and above, at the hips and both his arms (see the Video below). Three or five electrodes are applied to the chest to record a constant ECG. Negative and positive pressure is then put into these cuffs which inflates and deflates them. The inflation/deflation cycle of the cuffs is synchronized with the patient’s heart beats and forces the blood to travel from the legs to the heart. The blood flow through the blood vessels and the arteries also increases considerably as a result. These lead to a better functional efficiency of the heart. Thus EECP treatment considerably increases the blood flow to the heart and the impact/effect of the treatment prevails for a long time. External Counterpulsation Therapy relieves chest pain for the patient, makes breathing easier for him, helps him to take a longer walk and it provides him a much better quality of life.

The benefits of this natural bypass procedure in the treatment for angina symptoms last for about 3 to 6 years or more after the treatment is over. The five-year outcomes for patients who have gone for EECP treatment have been observed to be virtually same as for patients who have gone for angioplasty or invasive heart bypass. This wonder therapy alternative to heart bypass surgery, works just like an elastic band. When stretched for a long time, it loosens up. Also, the increased blood flow to the heart enlarges the small blood vessels, opens up several dormant blood vessels lying closed since birth and also helps to form new blood vessels. These form a 'natural bypass’ to the blocked arteries and ensure proper oxygen supply to the heart muscles similar to post cardiac bypass.

How often the patients are administered the therapy?

The treatment is given for about 35 hours in all – one hour every day and five days a week for about seven weeks. It can also be done twice a day, needing only 3/4 weeks. External Counterpulsation Therapy can also be done on patients where heart bypass surgery or angioplasty have failed or for additional benefits for a better and more active lifestyle.

What is the success rate of External Counterpulsation Therapy?

EECP may be a successful alternative to heart bypass surgery, but the outcome of the procedure may vary from case to case. Nevertheless, according to a recent report the response rate for patients suffering from angina is quite high at around 90 percent, with none of the risks of open-heart surgery or angioplasty. The success of External Counterpulsation Therapy in treatment for Angina can be gauged from the fact that in USA Medical Insurance reimbursement rate for this natural heart bypass therapy has increased by about 7% whereas for other procedures like angioplasty and bypass surgery the same has decreased by about 6%.

Conclusion.

The External Counterpulsation Therapy promises to be on the forefront of cardiac rehabilitation in treatment for Angina and heart failure in the near future. This treatment has been in use for quite sometime in many countries such as China, US, Australia, France, Germany and India as an alternative to heart bypass surgery. The procedure is approved by the statutory authorities in Europe, USA, China and India. China alone boasts now of over 12000 EECP centres while there are more than 900 such centres in USA carrying out EECP treatment and helping patients to avoid heart bypass surgery. This natural heart bypass procedure has proved so effective in reducing angina symptoms that it is covered under Blue Shield and Blue Cross Medical schemes in USA. Since it improves circulation throughout the body, External Counterpulsation Therapy is a cure-all procedure. It is perhaps the most powerful therapy to support individual well-being since having EECP therapy is like adding a second heart to the body which increases blood flow in all the vital organs like the brain, kidneys and intestines.