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Address at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Cardiology at Mumbai 2005.
We have all witnessed the treatment of cardiovascular disease moving from very invasive to less invasive methods. In the seventies bypass surgery was the big news, in the eighties it was balloon angioplasty and in the nineties it was the stent. Now, moving a step further is a totally non-invasive treatment – EXTERNAL COUNTER PULSATION (ECP), a truly non-operative, non-pharmaceutical, safe and effective treatment which has made big news in the west. ECP is FDA (USA) approved and finds reference in medical and cardiology textbooks. Many favorable articles have been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Reviews Reports, Cardiology, Mayo Clinical Proc., Clinical Cardiology, Journal of Critical illness, Journal of External Counter Pulsation, etc. The success of ECP can be judged from the fact that in USA the insurance sector reported that the reimbursement for ECP has gone up by 6% whereas that of other procedure likes angioplasty, bypass surgery etc has come down by 7%. Now the treatment is available in most of the leading hospitals of the world. It is well known that following bypass surgery – only 75% patients are symptom free for 5 years or more and only 50% after 10 years or more. The number of patients having recurrence after bypass, ballooning and stenting is increasing and for them ECP is the only FDA approved treatment available which is documented to increase blood supply to the heart by 20-42%, to the brain by 22-26% and to the kidneys by 19%. ECP also increases heart’s output. More patients now prefer non-invasive treatments. With improved cerebral circulation patients may notice improved memory etc. This 2nd World Congress may like to study this technique of ECP EXTERNAL COUNTER PULSATION for providing non-invasive cardiac care. Dr Abdul Kalam, in his address at the Second World Congress on Interventional Cardiology at Mumbai on 25.2.2005, made fervent plea for introducing noninvasive means to treat cardiac ailments. He said: "Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), a truly non-operative, non-pharmaceutical, safe and effective treatment which has made big news in the west. EECP is FDA (USA) approved and finds reference in medical and cardiology textbooks... Now the treatment is available in most of the leading hospitals of the world."
 Comment
    Dr Abdul Kalam, in his address at the Second World Congress on Interventional Cardiology at Mumbai on 25.2.2005, made fervent plea for introducing noninvasive means to treat cardiac ailments. He said: "Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), a truly non-operative, non-pharmaceutical, safe and effective treatment which has made big news in the west. EECP is FDA (USA) approved and finds reference in medical and cardiology textbooks... Now the treatment is available in most of the leading hospitals of the world."

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Former Indian President