Concerned about heart health? Exercise your heart and body while you rest.

ECP Is An Approved and Insured Therapy for Heart Health!

By Connor Knapp

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub… that’s the sound doctors often use to describe the human heart beat. The “lub” is the sound your heart makes when your tricuspid and mitral valves close. This happens when the left side of your heart fills with oxygen-rich blood to be pumped out of your heart to the rest of your body. The “dub” is the sound your heart makes when your aortic and pulmonary valves close. This happens when your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body to ensure it doesn’t flow backwards to your heart and lungs.

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub is also the sound you’ll hear when you walk into the treatment area at Sterling Heart Care. However, this sound is coming from the External Counter Pulsation (ECP) devices being used to noninvasively treat patients with heart disease symptoms. ECP therapy is a treatment that enhances blood flow to the heart muscle and the body.

Never heard of ECP therapy? You’re not alone. Many patients and even some doctors are not fully aware of how this treatment works and the many benefits patients derive from it.

During ECP therapy, a patient relaxes on a comfortable medical bed connected to the ECP device through an EKG monitor and fingertip pulse oximeter. An ECP therapist positions large cuffs (similar to those used to take your blood pressure) around your calves, thighs, and hips. Once an accurate reading of your heart rhythm is obtained, the therapist activates the pumping mechanism. The cuffs will inflate and deflate in rhythm with your own heartbeat, pushing extra blood flow into your heart during deflation, reducing your heart’s workload during deflation, and increasing circulation throughout your body.

The inflation and deflation of the cuffs occurs opposite the rhythm of your heartbeat. Remember that “dub” sound when your aortic and pulmonary valves close? That’s the exact moment when your heart gets a split-second to relax after pumping out blood. During this moment your coronary arteries expand and receive the blood supply that provides the oxygen needed to power your heart’s next contraction, and the ECP device augments blood flow into your coronary arteries, providing extra oxygen and nutrients. The result is a much healthier heart.

Medicare and commercial health insurance providers cover ECP Therapy for those experiencing heart disease symptoms such as angina (chest pain), dyspnea (shortness of breath), and constant bouts of fatigue. Also covered are those who continue to suffer despite taking medications and having undergone invasive procedures such as stenting or bypass surgery.

In addition to helping patients who have these conditions, ECP is also FDA-approved for individuals who want to be proactive about their cardiovascular health. Health-conscious individuals, weekend warriors, and even professional athletes use ECP Therapy to reap the benefits of exercise, without going to the gym.

For a free consultation and trial treatment session to find out if ECP is right for you call 716-529-3131 or email info@sterlingheartcare.com. Sterling Heart Care is located at 4330 Maple Road in Amherst. Learn more at www.sterlingheartcare.com.

Connor Knapp is a health care business professional, former Buffalo Sabre, and founder of Sterling Heart Care and Sterling Health Care Management.