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Objectives: Chronic heart failure (CHF) has been associated with an increased risk of poorer cognitive performance in older adults. Reversibility of cognitive impairment after medical treatment has been reported, although the restorative effects of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) on cognitive performance have not been studied. We investigated the effect of EECP on cognitive functions in CHF patients., Study Design: Thirty-six individuals (mean age: 66±8 years) who were diagnosed with CHF and were New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III and Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Class II-III participated in this study. Neuropsychological assessment was performed in these patients., Results: Patients in the EECP treatment group showed a statistically significant improvement in spontaneous naming (p=0.011) and forward row score of the attention subset among domains of cognition (p=0.020) and interference time of executive function (p=0.012)., Conclusion: Enhanced external counter pulsation resulted in improvement in all domains of cognitive functions except verbal and visual memory tests.

Objective: Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive treatment that is proven safe and effective in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF). The aims of this study are to investigate the clinical effects of EECP therapy in patients with symptomatic CAD and chronic HF, and to find out an answer to the question: Does EECP therapy have any effect on the prognostic markers of HF?, Methods: This study was designed as a prospective cohort study. A total of 68 consecutive patients with symptomatic CAD and chronic HF referred to EECP therapy were enrolled in this study between November 2007 and December 2010; 47 patients (39 males and 8 females, 65 ± 7, years), have undergone EECP treatment, and 21 patients (20 males and 1 female, 62 ± 10 years), who did not want to participate in the EECP program comprised the control group. Statistical analysis was performed using t tests for dependent and independent samples, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square and Fischer exact tests., Results: EECP therapy resulted in significant Improvement in post-intervention New York Heart Association functional class (p<0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (p<0.001), B-type natriuretic peptide levels (p<0.003), uric acid levels (p<0.05), free-T3/free-T4 ratio (p<0.034) and mitral annular E (p<0.05) velocity, compared with baseline, a finding not evident in the control group., Conclusion: EECP treatment significantly improved clinical and some biochemical parameters, which are mostly prognostic markers in patients with symptomatic CAD and chronic HF.

Copyright of Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology / Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)