The Heart

Your heart is the pump that supplies blood throughout the entire body.  It supplies tissues with the oxygen and nutrients that are needed to sustain life.  In order to efficiently accomplish this task, the heart muscle needs oxygen-enriched blood to generate energy for pumping blood to the body.  Since the heart cannot obtain oxygen directly from the blood in the heart's chambers, it relies on its own set of blood vessels called coronary arteries.

CardiAssist^TM Non-invasive Angina Pectoris Therapy External Counter Pulsation

The coronary arteries are different from other arteries in that the maximum blood flow throughout them occurs during diastole (when the heart is resting between heart-beats).  Other arteries receive their blood supply during systole (when the heart is pumping).  The coronaries cannot receive blood when the heart is pumping because they are constricted from the heart muscle's contraction.  In many people, the coronary arteries become narrowed or obstructed.  During exercise or stressful situations, an insufficient amount of blood is delivered to parts of the heart muscle.   The result is often a painful experience called angina pectoris.  The CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System is a non-invasive circulatory assist devise that increases blood flow to the heart, often reducing the symptoms of angina pectoris.

What is External Enhanced Counter pulsation?

External Enhanced Counter pulsation is a non-invasive procedure that may reduce the symptoms of chronic angina.  While the exact mechanism that allows external counter pulsation to reduce angina symptoms isn't known, it is presumed that the increase in coronary blood flow to the heart during this therapy is why the symptoms are reduced or eliminated.  The beneficial effects appear to be sustained between treatments and have persisted in some patients for a number of years.

How Does It Work?

When being treated with the CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System, you lie comfortably in a bed.  A series of cuffs (much like large blood pressure cuffs) will be placed on your calves, thighs and, optionally, around your buttocks.  The CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System will inflate these cuffs, moving the blood from your lower limbs toward your heart.  The CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System times the inflation and deflation of the cuffs to your heartbeat from your electrocardiogram (ECG) signal.  The timing is such that your heart receives the increased blood flow precisely when it is relaxing and the flow through your coronary arteries is at its peak.  A fraction of a second before your heart beats again, the cuffs are instantaneously deflated, enabling the blood in your heater to be pumped with minimal resistance into empty blood vessels.  Since the CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System is timed to your heartbeat, it will automatically turn off if your heartbeat goes above or below a specific rate.

Is External Enhanced Counter pulsation Painful?

External enhanced counter pulsation therapy with the CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System feels like a vigorous massage.  Many patients actually find they are able to read, watch videos, listen to music or just relax (even sleep) during therapy.  Since chafing can occur from the slight movement of the cuffs during inflation/deflation, Spandex^® "tights" should be worn during treatment.

What is the standard treatment and how long does therapy take?

Therapy with the CardiAssist^TM Counter Pulsation System requires 35 one-hour sessions. Many patients find they are comfortable reducing the number of weeks required by having two one-hour sessions each day.  You must commit however, to 35 total hours of therapy.

How long before I feel improvement?

There is no certain treatment time after which you might feel better.   Generally, as the number of hours of treatment increases, improvement is observed.

What benefits may this treatment provide?

External counter pulsation may have a number of benefits, depending on your individual condition.  Patients suffering from chronic angina have experienced relief from the pain associated with this condition, along with increased exercise ability and reduced need for medications. 

Clinical Benefits

External counter pulsation has produced positive effects in patients with coronary artery disease,  These benefits have been observed:

• Relief from angina symptoms
• Improved treadmill exercise times
• Radio nuclide assessments reveal resolution of reversible alchemic defects
• Reduction in the need for anti-angina medications
• Lifestyle improvements such as the ability to be more active

Please contact our office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ahner. 

You can meet with "Doc" and then take the necessary recommendations for your alternative health plan.

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