A review of enhanced external counterpulsation clinical trials.

A variety of clinical trials of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) have been conducted since the 1960s. The vast majority of these studies have investigated the use of EECP in patients with angina pectoris. Only one of these trials was randomized. These clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of EECP in terms of reduction in anginal episodes, increased exercise times, and improvement in health-related quality of life scores. The International EECP Patient Registry, through its phase I and II enrollment, is expanding the data set on outcomes after EECP treatment.