Cardiology Services
ECP: External Counterpulsation
ECP
The Orange County Heart Institute has been offering ECP since June of 2000. The treatment is reserved for those patients who continue to have angina (chest pain) due to a blocked coronary artery that can not be fixed with intra-coronary stents or coronary bypass surgery. This amazing, safe and highly effective procedure has a success rate, defined as improvement in exercise tolerance, chest pain, shortness of breath and quality of life, of almost ninety percent. Before accepting a patient for the program, a patient must have an evaluation of their coronary arteries by one of our cardiologists to see if the ECP is the appropriate treatment for their particular condition.
Orange County Heart Institute is one of the countries most experienced ECP Centers. ECP increases the blood flow to the heart through sequential compression of the lower extremities of the body in synchronization with the patient's electrocardiogram. This therapy has proven to be useful in the treatment of heart attacks (myocardial infarction), cardiogenic shock, chronic (stable) angina, and congestive heart failure.