“The vast majority of our patients who receive EECP therapy say their angina was greatly or completely relieved and they have a lot more energy to go out and enjoy doing things again,” says the clinic’s director, Dr. Shakoor Arain. “Many of the patients also report they no longer need to take nitroglycerin to manage angina pain episodes.”

Dr. Arain says during EECP therapy, the patient reclines on a comfortable padded table while their legs and lower torso are wrapped in cuffs similar to blood pressure cuffs. The cuffs are then inflated and deflated in time with the patient’s own heartbeat. The squeezing action created by the cuffs during the heart’s resting phase pumps extra blood throughout the arterial system and up into the heart muscles.

“The increased blood flow helps open a network of collateral micro-arteries and creates a ‘natural bypass’ around clogged arteries, allowing more blood to reach oxygen-deprived tissues in the heart,” says Dr. Arain.

Dr. Arain, who has been practicing cardiology in Central Florida since 1996, says EECP is typically recommended for patients who have previously undergone one or more invasive cardiac procedures like angioplasty, stenting, and coronary bypass surgery, are on medication but still suffer from angina symptoms including chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

“We’ve been successfully providing EECP treatments since 2004,” says Dr. Arain. “Clinical studies and our own experience show the treatment is effective for about 85 percent of patients and produces positive results which last up to 5 years, at which time the therapy can be repeated.”

Dr. Arain says the FDA-cleared therapy is administered in a series of daily one-hour sessions, and requires no preparation or recovery time and has no side effects.

The clinic is located at 1713 HWY 441 North, Ste #B, Okeechobee, FL 34972. Those who would like more information about EECP therapy can visit Treasure Coast Cardiology on their website at www.phyonline.com/treasurecoastcardio or contact their office directly at (863) 467-9400.

EECP® is a registered trademark of Vasomedical, Inc., Westbury, New York.