Alternative Heart Disease Treatment

Alternative Heart Disease Treatment

There is a growing number of patients who are living with advanced coronary artery disease, who can experience symptoms of angina. These patients are often times not amenable to cardiac medications, heart stents and/or bypass surgery.

The Heart Fit Clinic now offers External Counterpulsation to patients of Calgary and surrounding areas. External Counterpulsation is an amazing evidence-based therapy to help patients with coronary artery disease, specifically stable coronary artery disease. External Counterpulsation also called, EECP or ECP, is used extensively all over the world for the treatment of coronary artery disease and now Calgarians (Albertans) are extremely fortunate to have the treatment here.

The management of patients with advanced and chronic coronary artery disease is limited. Cardiologists treatment is limited to heart stents or bypass surgery, and if a patient has already undergone this option then they are on optimal medical therapy. Patients continue to be classified as “no option” and are given a prescription to treat their disease. However, is this enough? These “no option” patients now have another option. “We are excited to provide this valuable treatment to the people of Calgary and surrounding areas and give patients another option to treat heart disease” says Diamond Fernandes, director of the Heart Fit Clinic.

New treatment principles are continuing to emerge yet they are not in practice here in Canada. Specifically, Calgarians are limited to contemporary management of coronary artery disease especially when symptoms of angina are present despite optimal medical therapy. These patients present a challenge to cardiologists and now the Heart Fit Clinic is bridging this essential gap in our healthcare system.

External Counterpulsation (EECP, ECP) is safe, painless, non-surgical and non-invasive treatment. There are a multitude of benefits to patients, but more importantly it relieves these symptoms of heart disease. The treatment involves lying comfortably on a special bed and a series of blood pressure cuffs are wrapped around the patient’s legs that sequentially inflate to the patient’s cardiac cycle.