University Times

Pitt has been chosen to coordinate the National EECP Patient Registry, which will collect and analyze data on patients who have received Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP).

EECP is a noninvasive treatment for chest pain called angina pectoris, which results from a lack of oxygenated blood flow to the heart muscle. Nearly seven million Americans suffer from angina pectoris, a frequently disabling disorder indicating heart disease.

For patients who have undergone multiple invasive procedures or for whom additional surgery carries excessive risk, EECP may be the only way to obtain relief from pain. EECP is a procedure in which electronically-controlled cuffs are inflated rapidly and sequentially from the calves up the leg while the heart is in its resting phase. The action causes an increased flow of blood to the heart while reducing the heart's workload.