New Heart Treatment Promising

By SUE SCHEIBLE
The Patriot Ledger
Monday, January 9, 2002

This is a follow up to a September 17th Patriot Ledger article on
Granite Medical and EECP. To read that article, click here.

Quincy - A local medical practice is reporting better than expected initial results from an alternative treatment for heart disease that can spare patients from surgery.

In October, Granite Medical Group began treating three Quincy residents who have angina with an alternative, non-invasive procedure based on a traditional Chinese technique.

The treatment is called Enhanced External Counterpulsation, or EECP. Large pressurized cuffs are wrapped around the legs and lower body of patients to redirect blood flow to their hearts.

The procedure is believed to open up new pathways around blocked coronary arteries. It has been used for 50 years in China and in some cases can replace riskier heart surgery.

"I'm more enthusiastic than ever," said cardiologist Alan Berrick. "We're getting tremendous results in the first eight patients who have finished treatment."

While studies indicate the treatment lessens pain in 70 to 80 percent of cases, Berrick said all eight of the patients he has treated so far show improvement in symptoms and cardiac tests, and six are significantly better.

The patients have angina, the crippling chest pain caused by blocked arteries, or other coronary disease.

The treatment does not cure coronary disease but is seen as a way to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Berrick said it offers hope for patients who cannot have bypass surgery or angioplasty, and for whom nitroglycerin is ineffective. It may eventually be used for congestive heart failure. "European studies look very promising," he said.

Granite Medical Group was the first practice in the Boston area to offer the specific EECP procedure provided by Vasomedical Inc. In Falmouth, EECP is offered by Cardiovascular Specialists.

Fourteen patients have completed or are undergoing EECP treatment at Granite Medical. The practice is contacting about 1,000 cardiologists in the Boston area this week to let them know the service is available and expects to have a waiting list soon.

At Berrick's office in Crown Colony, licensed practical nurse Barbara Brangiforte is using EECP on six people a day. The patients have 35 treatments: an hour a day five days a week for seven weeks.

Robert Freda, 61, a retired Boston firefighter from Quincy, is one of the early success stories.

When he began treatments in October, he had given up his daily five-mile walks along Wollaston Beach because of angina attacks. He had been taking three to five nitroglycerin pills on each walk.

Because he had a heart attack at 43 and had pain return after two bypass surgeries, Freda was not a candidate for further surgery.

Freda finished his EECP treatments Nov. 7 and is walking two miles several days a week. A stress test last month showed his heart function and exercise tolerance had improved. He only has occasional angina pain, but it is less severe and goes away faster when he takes a nitroglycerin pill. His New Year resolution: walk five miles a day.

"I feel so much better it's unbelievable," Freda said this week as he finished his morning walk in his blue-and-black exercise outfit. "Without the treatment, I wouldn't be back to doing anything like I used to. I'm at least 80 percent better."

EECP has been used on 5,000 patients worldwide.

Another pleased patient is Robert D. Kennedy, 78, of Randolph, who completed his treatments after Thanksgiving. Before he began, he had periodic angina attacks, but the attacks stopped soon after he started treatment and haven't returned. He also had leg cramping caused by blocked arteries.

"I was very concerned about my circulation in my legs," Kennedy said. He had a heart attack a year ago during surgery to bypass the blocked leg arteries. More surgery was ruled out.

"I can walk further now," Kennedy said yesterday. " I don't need a cane anymore." He plans to get a treadmill.

Kennedy learned about the treatment in an earlier Patriot Ledger article.

Thomas Caplis, 68, of Mattapoisett will finish treatments Friday. He had no symptons of his blocked coronary arteries and was "flabbergasted" when two stress tests showed irregularities. An angiogram showed blockages but surgery was not recommended.

"I never felt bad or short of breath," he said. "I'm hoping that taking this treatment will protect my heart."

Caplis, a semi-retired businessman, did some homework on the Internet for noninvasive treatments and discovered EECP and the Quincy practice.

"It sounded like a real good first approach to resolving a problem," Caplis said.

Medicare will reimburse approximately $6,000 for the 35 treatments.

Where to learn more

Dr. Alan Berrick and nurse Barbara Brangiforte may be called at 617-479-2273.