EECP Therapy Within Reach of Salt Lake City

Getting from Salt Lake City to Draper

By TRAX. This is the detail that matters most for many Salt Lake patients. The TRAX Blue Line runs from Salt Lake Central station, through downtown, south to its last stop at Draper Town Center. Draper Town Center station, the southern end of the TRAX Blue Line at 1131 E. Pioneer Road, is about a quarter mile from our clinic, roughly a five-minute walk (approximate). No transfer is needed from any Blue Line station in the city. For someone who would rather not drive I-15 five days a week, that is a real advantage.

By car (approximate). From downtown, take I-15 south about 20 miles to the 12300 South exit in Draper, head east, and follow Draper Parkway to the clinic. With light traffic the drive is roughly 25 to 30 minutes. At rush hour it can be 40 minutes or more, so many Salt Lake patients choose a midmorning or early afternoon appointment.

Strong heart care already surrounds you

Salt Lake City residents have access to some of the largest heart programs in the Mountain West. Hospitals in and near the city include University of Utah Hospital, Intermountain LDS Hospital, St. Mark's Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake (formerly Salt Lake Regional Medical Center) and the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Intermountain Medical Center in neighboring Murray is also close.

EECP does not replace any of that care. It is an outpatient therapy that some patients use alongside it, often when symptoms continue despite procedures and medication. Thrive EECP is an independent clinic and is not affiliated with these hospitals. We encourage you to keep your cardiologist informed and to bring any questions from your consultation back to them.

What EECP is, in plain terms

During a session you lie on a padded table with inflatable cuffs wrapped around your calves, thighs and buttocks. Small EKG leads let the system follow your heartbeat. When your heart relaxes between beats, the cuffs inflate in sequence from the calves upward and push blood back toward the heart. Just before the next beat, they deflate, which reduces the work your heart has to do to pump.

The FDA has cleared EECP for chronic stable angina and certain types of heart failure. Medicare has covered it for qualifying patients with chronic stable angina for many years. Research suggests it may also help develop collateral blood vessels, sometimes described as natural bypasses, though how much any one person benefits varies. It is not a cure for heart disease and does not remove plaque.

The schedule

The standard course established in clinical studies is 35 one-hour sessions, typically five days a week for about seven weeks. At Thrive EECP we work with you on a schedule that fits your needs. If you have to miss a day, we simply reschedule. Because appointments fill, we ask for 24 hours notice when you can.

Altitude, inversions and everyday goals

Salt Lake City sits at roughly 4,200 feet. Some people with angina or heart failure notice more breathlessness at elevation, and winter inversions that trap pollution in the valley can make breathing feel harder for people with heart and lung conditions. Those are good reasons to plan your sessions around weather and air quality alerts and to talk with your doctor about activity on bad air days.

When Salt Lake patients describe their goals at a consultation, they are usually practical: walk the loop at Liberty Park, climb the stairs at home, get through a workday without stopping to rest, or keep up with grandchildren at a Real Salt Lake or Utah Jazz game. We will talk honestly about what EECP may and may not do toward goals like these.

Who may not be a candidate

EECP is not appropriate for everyone. People with certain irregular heart rhythms, significant aortic valve leakage (aortic insufficiency), a recent blood clot in the legs, uncontrolled high blood pressure, severe peripheral artery disease, or who are pregnant may not be candidates. We review your history and medications before you begin.

Treatment takes place only at our clinic at 1111 E. Draper Parkway, Suite 118, Draper, UT 84020. We do not have an office in Salt Lake City.