Psychosocial aspects of enhanced external counterpulsation

EECP (Vasomedical) is a noninvasive treatment that has shown promise in the treatment of ischemic coronary artery disease. Compared to the psychosocial sequelae of coronary bypass surgery and coronary angioplasty, EECP may offer certain psychosocial advantages that would contribute to improved quality of life in angina patients. Overall health perception and overall well being are enhanced greatly in subjects who show objective improvement in ischemia, and also in those without objective evidence of improvement. There are also improvements in depression scores in both subject groups. Given the predictive relationship between depression and mortality from cardiac disease, this may be an important finding to study further.