I Wake Up With My Heart Racing — Should I Be Worried?
One of the disorders doctors who practice medical cardiology treat is angina. A recent tool available to cardiac specialists is Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP). Understanding how it is beneficial can greatly reduce a cardiac patient’s stress level.
Overview of Angina
This term describes a sign of coronary artery disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is chest pain from decreased blood flood to an individual’s heart muscle. Many patients describe a sensation of pressure, heaviness, squeezing, tightness, or chest pain. They often mistake it as discomfort related to indigestion. The most serious potential complication associated with angina is a heart attack.
Healthcare providers recognize three types of angina with varying degrees of severity and duration. Stable angina appears when the heart is under stress, such as when climbing stairs, and lasts a short time. Unstable angina, which is unexpected and can occur at rest, might signal a heart attack and represents a medical emergency. The cause of variant angina is a spasm in a coronary artery.
Angina symptoms in women sometimes vary from the classic signs. Females frequently describe symptoms like nausea, extreme fatigue, or stabbing pain.
Beyond recommending lifestyle changes, doctors treat angina using medications such as:
- Nitrates
- Aspirin
- Clot preventers
- Beta blockers
- Statins
- Calcium channel blockers
- Ranolazine, or Ranexa
Surgical procedures include:
- Angioplasty
- Stenting
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
Why Cardiac Specialists Use EECP
EECP is the only noninvasive treatment for angina, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease, says The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. It can reduce or eliminate angina and is appropriate for patients who have:
- Stable but chronic angina
- Hypertension
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attack
- Congestive heart failure
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an EECP treatment firmly but gently compresses blood vessels in the legs to boost blood flow to the heart. Pressure waves are timed to the patient’s heart beat so that the increased flow of blood arrives exactly when the heart is relaxing. The next time the heart pumps, the procedure immediately releases pressure. This makes it easier for the heart to pump blood to leg vessels.
In some cases, EECP helps blood vessels open channels that develop into new branches. These channels sometimes become natural bypass mechanisms that help with blood flow to the heart. This in turn relieves symptoms of angina.
What to Expect
Cardiac specialists perform EECP as an outpatient, non-invasive treatment. After a patient lies down, staff members apply electrodes connected to a monitoring electrocardiograph machine. They wrap cuffs around the individual’s thighs, and buttocks.
Air hoses connected to the cuffs inflate and deflate them. Patients report feeling a strong hugging sensation starting in their calves while the cuffs inflate, then a quick pressure release as they deflate.
Treatments last approximately an hour. Many patients relax by reading, listening to music, or napping.
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