How wonderpants cured my angina and gave me my life back

How wonderpants cured my angina and gave me my life back
By Barney CalmanLast updated at 8:50 PM on 9th May 2009
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Sandra Ansley was just 50 when she was diagnosed with angina, the painful and disabling heart condition that affects 100,000 new UK sufferers each year.
'I was fit and healthy,' says the mother of two from Charlton, West Sussex. 'I have never smoked, I wasn't overweight and swam regularly. The symptoms started gradually, but before long I was in agony almost constantly.'
Within a few months Sandra was housebound. She was forced to give up her job as an accountant and unable even to play with her three young grandchildren.

The right trousers: Sandra Ansley undergoes the EECP treatment. She is now symptom-free
'The frustration was almost worse than the pain,' she says. 'An attack could even be caused by happy emotions - anything that made my heart beat faster.
'The pain was sometimes sharp and sudden, making me almost double over, and sometimes more like my chest was being pulled apart. Just walking up stairs, turning over in bed or picking something up off the floor would bring one on.
'I was breathless and had to give up swimming. I couldn't work, because simply the stress of walking into a meeting would bring it on.'
Considering the severity of her condition, it is remarkable that today Sandra, now 60, is symptom-free. She runs the Woodstock House Hotel with her husband Nicholas, 50, swims twice a week and, best of all, enjoys boisterous visits from the younger members of her family.
And it is all thanks to a little-known treatment known as Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP), which involves wearing a pair of inflatable trousers.
Angina pectoris - commonly known as angina - is a lack of blood supply and therefore oxygen to the heart muscle, and is one of the symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Caused by a build-up of fatty deposits (atheroma) on the walls of the coronary arteries, the resulting narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) restricts blood flow to the heart, bringing on attacks of angina and ultimately a heart attack, which is what makes CHD the biggest cause of premature death in the UK.
High blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obesity, an inactive lifestyle, diabetes and, of course, smoking, all increase the risk of CHD. There is also a strong hereditary link.
Exertion - and even emotional stress - means the heart muscle works harder and needs more oxygen, which can bring on an angina attack that may last for up to five minutes. Cold weather also exacerbates the condition.
First-line treatment is glyceryl trinitrate (GNT) in a spray or tablet form, which causes the coronary blood vessels to dilate and allow more blood through. However, the effect lasts only for the duration of an attack.
To prevent attacks, drugs known as beta-blockers are commonly prescribed. These make the heart beat more slowly, so the muscle needs less blood and oxygen.
Statins, which lower blood cholesterol, and aspirin, which thins the blood, are used to prevent CHD getting worse.
However, in around half of patients, medicines fail to control symptoms and surgery may be recommended.
The two most common procedures are angioplasty, in which a flexible metal mesh tube called a stent is inserted into the affected artery to keep it open, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), where healthy blood vessel segments (grafts) taken from other parts of the body are used to bypass the blockage.
While extremely effective in most cases, neither procedure is without complication. Of the 25,000 patients who undergo bypass surgery a year, at a cost of £15,000 each to the NHS, two per cent die within 28 days of surgery.
Around 77,000 angioplasty operations, costing £6,000 to £8,000 each, were carried out last year, and one in 200 patients had a heart attack or stroke as a result.
Sandra was among the unlucky two per cent of patients that do not respond to drugs and are not suitable for surgery.
'I tried everything for more than two years and nothing helped,' she says. 'Because the blockages were in the very tiny arteries of my heart, I wasn't a candidate for a bypass or stent operation. I felt so defeated.'
Then, her consultant, Dr Robin Roberts, who runs a private practice in Wimbledon, South-West London, suggested she try EECP.
'The problem with angina is that not enough blood reaches the heart muscle, which is what causes the agonising pain,' he explains. 'EECP works by mechanically increasing the blood flow to the heart for a sustained period of time.'
During the treatment, inflatable fabric cuffs are wrapped around the calves, thighs and buttocks. A machine monitors the patient's heart, inflating the cuffs in the moments when the heart muscle is relaxed. This forces the blood to flow back up towards the heart at very high pressure.
'The result is that new blood vessels form and naturally bypass the blockage,' says Dr Roberts.
Studies have shown that most patients remain symptom-free three years after one course of treatment. Each treatment takes around 35 hours (an hour a day, five days a week, for seven consecutive weeks) and costs £8,400.
'It's a big commitment,' admits Dr Roberts. 'But these patients have tried every treatment with no result. It's impossible to underestimate how painful and disabling angina can be.'
There are few side effects, aside from minor skin irritation. Patients who have suffered a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) are not suitable for treatment, as it could dislodge a blood clot.
For Sandra, the effects were almost immediate.
'It was a bit uncomfortable at first,' she says. 'It feels similar to when you have your blood pressure taken, but around your legs. And you jolt about as the machine inflates and deflates the cuffs.
'But the second day I hardly noticed it, and just sat and read my book. After an hour of treatment I felt less out of breath and had more energy.
'After two weeks I went swimming and managed 20 lengths with no pain. The feeling was indescribable, I was so happy.'
Currently there is little research into the long-term benefits of EECP and only 29 of the 152 Primary Care Trusts fund the treatment. Dr Roberts has referred about 500 patients for EECP since 2001.
'More research is needed, but patients do seem to get better and better over time,' he says. 'I believe EECP is ideal for the hardest to treat angina patients.'
Today Sandra takes medication to control her blood pressure and has not had an attack for more than a year. She says: 'We paid for the treatment. I wrote to my PCT but they refused, saying it wasn't a treatment they funded.
'Considering how much surgery costs, it's just silly. I'm lucky I could afford it. After the treatment I still had a few pains, especially when I ate a large meal. Looking back, I can hardly believe how ill I was. Thanks to this treatment, I have my life back.'
• www.vasogenics.com

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