External Counter Pulsation increases the blood flow to the heart through sequential compression of the lower extremities of the body in synchronization with a patient's electrocardiogram. This therapy has proven to be useful in the treatment of heart attacks (myocardial infarction), cardiogenic shock, angina and congestive heart failure.
Clinical experience indicates that patients have demonstrated improvement after external counter pulsation treatment such as:
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Less recurrent chest pain
- Less ventricular fibrillation
- Reduction or elimination of shock symptoms
- Decrease in heart size
- Less progression to cardiac failure
- Afterload reduction
- Increased quality of life
- Decreased mortality rates