Collateral Blood Flow
Besides the normal coronary artery network, collateral vessels can play a significant role in supplying oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle. Collateral vessels can be pre-existing vessels that normally have little or no blood flow. An acute occlusion of a coronary artery causes a redistribution of pressures within the vascular bed thereby causing blood flow to channel to collateral vessels forming a natural bypass around the blockage.
In the heart, collateral blood vessels are particularly important. Collateral blood flow plays an important mechanism in limiting heart damage by helping to supply additional blood flow to ischemic regions caused by stenosis or occlusion of one or more of the coronary arteries.
EECP Therapy increases the blood volume in the coronary arteries, which helps to dilate the natural bypass or collaterals. This increase in blood volume pushing against the blockages stimulates the body to produce a growth hormone. This hormone assists in the growth of new collaterals, thus increasing the amount of oxygen rich arterial blood to feed the heart muscle.