Vasomedical's EECP therapy for heart disease increases oxygen uptake, study says

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, March 14 - Vasomedical Inc. said that patients age 65 and older with coronary heart disease who received the company's enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy experienced significant improvement in exercise duration and peak oxygen uptake during a recent study and showed a greater increase in their ability to exercise relative to the overall study population.

George A. Beller of the University of Virginia Health System presented a comprehensive review of the data at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta.

Four other scientific presentations illustrated the leading role of EECP therapy in the treatment of patients who have advanced heart disease but few or no options for treatment, according to a company news release.

The presentations "continue to demonstrate wider applicability, substantial efficacy and opportunities for cost savings achieved with EECP therapy," Thomas Varricchione, vice president of clinical, regulatory and quality affairs at Vasomedical, said in the release.

Other presentations included:

• Ozlem Soran of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center provided data that showed a 91% reduction in emergency room visits and an 86% reduction in hospitalizations over a six-month period among patients who received EECP therapy when compared with the six-month period prior to receiving the treatment;

• William Lawson of Stony Brook University, New York, highlighted improvements EECP therapy can accomplish in the deteriorated sexual function that often accompanies medically refractory angina;

• Timothy Henry of the University of Minnesota showed that angina patients with a history of peripheral arterial disease can be safely treated and benefit from the therapy;

• Sanjay Mittal of the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in New Delhi presented data suggesting that EECP therapy might achieve its effects via a dominant training effect, consistent with prior research showing improvements in endothelial function obtained with the therapy.

During EECP therapy, the patient's legs are wrapped in a pneumatic cuff set, which inflates and deflates in concert with the heart to increase blood flow to the heart muscle and other organs and decrease the heart's workload, creating a greater oxygen supply for the heart muscle while lowering its need for oxygen, the company said. It is typically given in 35 one-hour sessions over seven weeks.

Westbury, N.Y.-based Vasomedical designs noninvasive treatments for cardiovascular dysfunctions

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