Area Family Helps Replace Wheeling Hospital’s Cardiac Therapy Bed

Thanks to the generosity of a Valley Grove man and his family, Wheeling Hospital cardiac patients now have a new treatment bed for a special kind of therapy.

The therapy, known as external counterpulsation, is a treatment option for patients with congestive heart failure or those experiencing anginal symptoms not correctable through surgery. The noninvasive therapy works to improve circulation to the heart muscle, reducing the heart's workload and can help build new pathways around blocked arteries.

Wheeling Hospital is the only local facility to offer the therapy, which it has done for the last 10 years. But in August, age began taking its toll on the equipment and the therapy was suspended.

Bob Shilling, 80, of Valley Grove completed the therapy previously and was a candidate again with a referral from his interventional cardiologist, Dr. Gregory Suero. When Shilling was told about the equipment situation, he and his family began searching for a new bed replacement. They conducted research on the beds and personally contacted the manufacturer, putting into motion the request process with hospital administration for the equipment replacement.

"Because of the persistence and wonderful generosity of the Shilling family, we can once again offer this treatment, which benefits many patients with heart disease and associated angina," said Becky Frome, director of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation at Wheeling Hospital. "Patients who complete the program see positive results, such has medication reduction, increase in exercise capacity, angina symptom relief and improved quality of life."

External counterpulsation therapy is administered as a series of outpatient treatments. Patients receive five, one-hour sessions per week for seven weeks -- a total of 35 sessions. The therapy is provided in the cardiac rehabilitation department at Wheeling Hospital's Howard Long Wellness Center.

During the ECP procedure, inflatable cuffs -- similar to those used in blood pressure tests -- are wrapped around the entire length of the patient's legs. The cuffs deflate just as the heart begins to beat and inflate as the heart muscle relaxes.

As the cuffs inflate and deflate, the patient feels the sensation of a strong hug moving upward from the calves, to the thighs and to the buttocks. During the hour-long procedure, patients can relax and talk to visitors, watch TV, listen to music or even take a nap.