ABSTRACT Introduction: Symptomatic chronic heart failure is an important health problem that limits the daily life, quality of life, effort capacity and physiological condition of the patients. In subset of these patients symptoms persist despite optimal medical management. Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved therapy which improves symptoms and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. However, there is limited data in Turkish cohort. In this study, we investigated the clinical effects of EECP on multiple parameters in Turkish patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure. Material and Methods: Twenty-one individuals who were diagnosed with symptomatic chronic heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%) with New York Heart Association Class (NYHA) II-III were enrolled in the study. Patients were assigned to 35-session EECP treatment. NYHA classification, SF-36 quality of life questionnaire, Minnesota living heart failure questionnaire, quality of life index cardiac version-IV and Beck depression scale were assessed, and 6-minute walk tests were performed before and after EECP treatment. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.4±12.5 years. EECP therapy resulted in significant improvement in NYHA functional class, quality of life index, effort capacity and pyhsiological condition in all patients without any adverse event (p=0.001). Conclusion: Enchanced external counterpulsation treatment significantly improved clinical parameters and effort capacity in patients with symptomatic heart failure. These results suggest that EECP is an effective and a safe therapy in Class II-III heart failure patients whose symptoms persist despite optimal medical management. Keywords: heart failure, symptom, quality of life, depression, EECP
Waon Therapy Improves Quality of Life as Well as Cardiac Function and Exercise Capacity in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
