PeaceHealth St. John | House call | Spring/Summer 2015

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EECP helps
heart patient
dance again
Need a provider? Find one at
.
Your time is as precious as your health.
That’s why, as a PeaceHealth Medical Group patient,
you’re offered easy online access to your medical records.
Manage Your Health Care,
Anytime, Anywhere
Your time is as precious as your health.
That’s why, as a PeaceHealth Medical Group patient,
you’re offered easy online access to your medical records.
h
Manage Your Health Care,
Anytime, Anywhere
PAT T I NNE L L EXP E R I ENCED two heart attacks,
failed stents, and then bypass surgery in 2000. He
underwent several attempts to clean his arteries via
heart catheterization surgeries, and then, in 2002, he
had open-heart laser surgery to create new arteries to
his damaged heart.
This resulted in Pat’s settling down to a life of
recurrent, unstable angina (chest pain)—his constant
companion with any physical activity as well as while
at rest. Pat was taking the maximum safe dosages of
several medications, and that controlled only part of
his heart condition.
Finally, relief came through a treatment known as
enhanced external counter-pulsation (EECP). For
EECP treatments, a patient is fitted into high-tech
pneumatic pants that alternately squeeze and relax
pressure on the patient’s legs, forcing oxygenated
blood into new microcirculation routes through the
patient’s heart and body. EECP treatments often help
reduce fatigue and dizzy spells and increase energy.
Pat’s first EECP treatment was in Seattle in 2004,
with remarkable results.
“[Before the treatments,] I was not able to walk
two blocks without using nitro-tab to relieve chest
pain,” Pat says. “It’s not a cure-all, as my condition
gradually returned over time (lousy arteries), so after
two more stents and years of angina, sitting around
not being active and gaining weight, I again took the
EECP treatments, this time at PeaceHealth St. John in
Longview.”
Now Pat can walk or ride his bike for more than an
hour without chest pain. No longer afraid of being
active, he even takes his wife dancing.
Of his experience with cardiac rehab at PeaceHealth
St. John Medical Center, Pat says: “I found the staff
knowledgeable and professional, each one caring
and dedicated. I truly recommend taking this EECP
treatment, as it will definitely improve your quality
of life.”
Interested in EECP? Check with your primary
care provider to see if this option is right for you and
for a referral. If you have any questions about
EECP, call 360-414-7384.
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Longview, WA 98632
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PeaceHealth
PAT I ENT P ROF I L E