Cardia Heart Recirculation Medical Center, the independent EECP provider in the San Francisco Bay Area, opened its first treatment center in Walnut Creek on June 3, 2003. This center, now located in Concord, CA, is the only independent, free-standing EECP treatment center in the East Bay

EECP is a non-invasive treatment for qualified patients suffering from angina and/or congestive heart failure. The treatment is delivered by a trained technician to patients while lying flat on a specially designed table. During each treatment, the patient is connected to a sophisticated monitor by a simple electrode. Cuffs attached to the patients’ calves, lower thighs and upper thighs are sequentially compressed while the heart is at rest (diastole) forcing a profusion of blood into the heart and rapidly released when the heart beats (systole) allowing the blood to circulate back into the legs. The treatment regimen consists of thirty-five, one hour treatments, delivered on weekdays for seven consecutive weeks.

Clinical studies have shown that EECP treatment may create a “natural bypass” around narrowed or blocked portions of arteries. These channels or collaterals may eventually become permanent pathways for blood to reach heart muscle that was previously deprived of adequate nourishment resulting in dramatic improvements in patients suffering from both heart failure and angina. Clinical studies have also demonstrated that EECP produces lasting benefits including reduction or elimination of angina and increased physical activity for years after treatment.

The EECP apparatus is designed and manufactured by Vasomedical Inc. For additional information about Vasomedical and EECP, see www.eecp.com.

EECP supplements other heart therapies. It is FDA-approved and covered by Medicare and all major insurers, including Kaiser Permanente.

For further information, or to schedule a consultation, please call our office at 925-938-5400 or contact drjtoth@gmail.com.