Ongoing and planned studies of enhanced external counterpulsation

Abstract

There is strong, continued interest in enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) as evidenced by current, ongoing clinical trials. Many of these have been designed to support the current indications of EECP, mainly its application in the treatment of symptomatic coronary artery disease. An exciting area in this regard is how EECP may help control blood glucose in patients with angina and diabetes mellitus. A variety of planned or ongoing exploratory studies are also helping to explain the mechanism of action behind EECP. Two clinical trials are now investigating a new indication for EECP in patients with congestive heart failure, including the important randomized Prospective Evaluation of EECP in Congestive Heart failure (PEECH) trial.