Therapy
Adding enhanced external counterpulsation to cardiac exercise rehabilitation lowers Lp(a) in 122 coronary heart disease patients (Open Med (Wars) 2026)
Original title: Effects of EECP combined with individualized cardiac exercise rehabilitation on lipoprotein(a) levels in patients with coronary heart disease
This retrospective analysis compared 122 coronary heart disease patients treated between January and September 2023: 61 received enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) plus individualized cardiac exercise rehabilitation, while 61 controls received standard mattress therapy with the same exercise programme, assessed over six months with lipid parameters checked before and 30 days after treatment. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C and VLDL-C did not change significantly, but LDL-C and lipoprotein(a) both decreased from pretreatment levels, and the EECP-plus-rehabilitation group reached a 93.83% overall effective treatment rate at six months. The abstract does not report the magnitude of the Lp(a) change or a statistical test for it specifically, so this is a modest, hypothesis-generating signal that adding EECP to rehabilitation may help lower Lp(a) alongside LDL-C, not a rigorously quantified effect.
Original abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combining enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) with individualized cardiac exercise rehabilitation training on lipoprotein(a) levels in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
Methods: This retrospective analysis included 122 patients with CHD who received treatment at the hospital between January 2023 and September 2023. 61 patients were assigned to the study group, receiving EECP therapy plus individualized cardiac exercise rehabilitation, while another 61 in the control group were given standard mattress therapy combined with the same exercise rehabilitation. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated over a 6-month period and compared between groups. In addition, changes in blood lipid parameters were assessed before treatment and 30 days after treatment.
Results: After treatment, no statistically significant changes were observed in total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p>0.05). In contrast, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) levels decreased compared with pretreatment values. During follow-up, the total effective treatment rate in the study group reached 93.83 % at 6 months.
Conclusions: The combination of EECP and individualized cardiac exercise rehabilitation training was associated with a reduction in lipoprotein(a) levels and improved overall cardiovascular status in patients with CHD.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 17 August 2026. Methods.