Sweden: Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) for long covid

mango

mango

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Karolinska in Sweden is currently running an EECP clinical trial for long covid.

Mekanisk perifer kompression (EECP)-behandling till patienter med postcovid symtom.
https://www.karolinska.se/forskning...r/pagaende-kliniska-studier/eecplngtidscovid/
Auto-translate said:
Mechanical peripheral compression (EECP) treatment for patients with post-covid symptoms.

Acronym: EECP Long covid

Aim: The aim of the study is to study Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) therapy, a form of mechanical peripheral compression therapy, in patients with postcovid related symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). A few case reports have shown favourable effect of EECP on this patient group. Therefore, it may be reasonable to study this treatment/technology in a larger patient population as, through its mechanism of action, it appears to counteract the pathophysiological disturbances of COVID-19 thought to be associated with long-lasting and persistent symptoms. The study may provide new insights into whether this treatment could be a potential treatment option for patients with this condition.

The study will investigate and compare two groups, one receiving optimal drug treatment and one receiving EECP treatment in addition to drug treatment. You are being asked to participate in the study if you have post-covid related symptoms, POTS and are being treated with drugs for these symptoms.

Selection criteria: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Long Term Covid (PASC)

Search terms: POTS, PASC, Long covid

Theme/Function, Medical Unit: Theme Heart, Vascular and Neuro, ME Cardiology

Updated: 8 December 2024
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I wonder how many sessions they will be doing:
wikipedia said:
Of note, therapies are tailored on an individual basis but beginning regimens tend to include daily one-hour treatments that occur 5 days of the week and last 6–8 weeks with an average overall of 35 hours.[10]
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That regimen sounds pretty tiring.

They are using the standard woo recipe - unblinded treatment (here is supposedly a drug treatment arm, but patients are expected to just apply the medicines that are already using), recruitment selecting for people well disposed to the treatment idea, almost certainly subjective outcomes. They are also using a mixed cohort, so, even it the treatment did help for some post-Covid-19 issue, this study is unlikely to isolate it.
 
I've seen several control modes: nothing, waiting list, passive, active, sham, etc. I hadn't seen fantasy yet. Won't be able to say that again, I guess.
one receiving optimal drug treatment
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Not mentioning that drug makes it appear as a kind of mystery, and maybe it's a loose translation that doesn't capture the meaning, but obviously there is no such thing as a drug treatment for LC that is of any level of effectiveness, whether for POTS or any other set of problems. Although that sure would be nice, but, you know, decades of denial, discrimination and pseudoscience and so on.

And of course a blatantly useless methodology that renders the whole trial even more useless. Feels like they're just trolling. How would we even tell the difference when it looks exactly the same?
 
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