Odessa's Healthy Heart Center Celebrates Ten Years of Helping Heart Patients Live Active, Symptom-Free Lives with the Assistance of Non-Invasive EECP® Therapy
Healthy Heart's medical director, Dr. Suresh Gadasalli, says the painless treatment has reduced or eliminated angina pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath for hundreds of the center's patients
Online, May 28, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Marking their 10th year of providing leading-edge care to heart patients throughout West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, the Healthy Heart Center of Odessa is issuing a message of encouragement to all individuals who have previously undergone one or more invasive cardiac procedures, yet continue to experience chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and other debilitating symptoms associated with coronary artery disease and heart failure.
"The vast majority of patients whose symptoms don't change after angioplasty, stenting, and coronary bypass are able to reduce or eliminate those symptoms with a painless outpatient procedure offered at Healthy Heart called Enhanced External Counterpulsation therapy, or 'EECP' for short," says the Center's medical director, Dr. Suresh Gadasalli. "The FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment, which is delivered in a series of daily one-hour sessions, is able to relieve symptoms for about 80 percent of patients for whom it is prescribed."
Dr. Gadasalli says during EECP therapy, the patient reclines comfortably on a padded table, and a set of inflatable cuffs similar to blood pressure cuffs are wrapped around their legs and buttocks. A continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) triggers the cuffs to inflate and deflate in sync with the patient's own heartbeat, pumping oxygen-rich blood toward the patient's heart with each beat during the heart's resting phase. "The additional blood flow created by the gentle squeezing action not only nourishes and revitalizes oxygen-starved heart tissues, but the extra flow also promotes the healing and rebuilding of stiff or damaged arterial walls throughout the patient's entire vascular system," says Dr. Gadasalli. "The therapy also activates a network of collateral arteries which open and reroute blood around narrowed or diseased coronary arteries, creating what is in effect, a 'natural bypass'."
Dr. Gadasalli says over the past ten years, he's seen many patients experience significant increases in energy and mobility after completing their EECP therapy. "We had a 72-year old gentleman who, prior to therapy, could not walk from his bedroom to his bathroom. Now, he walks three or four blocks every day without fatigue or angina pain," says Dr. Gadasalli. "Most patients find their exercise tolerance significantly increased after completing EECP therapy. Their stamina and ability to conduct normal daily activities or participate in their favorite activities improves in general and their quality of life also improves. In addition, their reliance on and use of medication is often decreased."
Dr. Gadasalli says the benefits of EECP therapy can last more than 2 years. "EECP is not a substitute for standard therapy, but when standard therapy does not achieve the desired results and the patient still has symptoms, or when the patient is unable to undergo standard therapy, it is a wonderful option," says Dr. Gadasalli.
EECP therapy requires no preparation or recovery time and has no side effects. EECP is covered by Medicare and most commercial insurers. The procedure has been proven in many clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals to be safe and effective.
For additional information about EECP therapy, please contact The Healthy Heart Center at 500 E. 4th Street, Odessa, Texas 79761 or call 432.580.8686 or toll-free 800.324.5445
Visit The Health Heart Center online at www.healthyheartcenter.net
EECP® is a registered trademark of Vasomedical, Inc., Westbury, NY.
About Suresh N. Gadasalli, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Dr. Gadasalli, M.D., F.A.C.C is ABIM Board Certified in Cardiovascular diseases, and has been in private practice in Odessa, Texas, since 1994, specializing in Preventive, Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology. He is the Director of The Healthy Heart Center in Odessa, Texas. Dr. Gadasalli was a co-founder and Board member of the Alliance Hospital in Odessa (now Odessa Regional Medical Center).
About The Healthy Heart Center (www.healthyheartcenter.net)
Under the direction of Suresh Gadasalli, M.D., the Center offers preventive and technologically-advanced cardiac care, provided by a highly trained and caring staff of professionals.
The Healthy Heart Center provides leading-edge care for a wide range of heart-related problems. If you suffer from chest pain, have trouble breathing or have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, we can tell you about treatment options. We prescribe supervised rehabilitation for heart attack patients, and our preventive cardiology expertise can potentially help you avoid heart attacks.
The Healthy Heart Center has extensive in-house diagnostic facilities, including echocardiography, cardiac catheterization and nuclear medicine capabilities.
