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Enhanced External Counterpulsation and Its Effects on Vascular Hemodynamics in Cognitively Impaired Patients

Enhanced External Counterpulsation and Its Effects on Vascular Hemodynamics in Cognitively Impaired Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01659398
Enrollment
8
Registered
2012-08-07
Start date
2012-06-30
Completion date
2014-10-31
Last updated
2016-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Keywords

Alzheimer's Disease, cerebral blood flow, ophthalmic blood flow, blood viscosity

Brief summary

The aim of this study is to investigate whether enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy for 7 consecutive weeks will improve cerebral blood flow and possibly over time enhance or slow down breakdown of cognitive function in patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Interventions

DEVICEExternal Counterpulsation (EECP)

A noninvasive neuroimaging technique. Administration of 35 hours EECP therapy over a 7 week period. EECP to be administered for 1 hour, 5 times a week.

Sponsors

Patrick Moriarty, MD, FACP, FACC
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* An adult between 18 and 85 years of age. * Has been evaluated to have a CDR (Clinical Dementia Rating) Score of 0.5 * Male or female (if female must be postmenopausal for at least 1 year, surgically sterile or using an effective form of contraception). * Able to speak and read English. * Willing to comply with study specific instructions, and complete all study procedures according to protocol. * Able to understand study rationale and sign informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

* Diagnosed with glaucoma * History of developing adverse effects to ophthalmic dilating agents (phenylephrine or tropicamide). * Currently taking warfarin and dabigatran (Pradaxa). * History of having arrhythmias - can interfere with EECP triggering. * Subject has bleeding diathesis. * Subject has active thrombophlebitis. * Subject has severe lower extremity vaso-occlusive disease. * Subject has a documented aortic aneurysm requiring surgical repair. * Subject is pregnant. * Subject with blood pressure higher than 180/110 mmHg. * Subject with a heart rate more than 120 bpm. * Subject with high risk of complications from increased venous return. * Subject with clinically significant valvular disease. * Subjects with severe vascular disease as established by the Hachinski Ischemic Index. * Subjects with pacemakers and other metallic implantable devices.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Cognitive FunctionBaseline, Week 7, 6 MonthChange in cognitive function measured using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive sub-scale (ADAS-cog). Scale is used to determine patient's mental status. The scale has 11 parts and scores range from 0 (no impairment) to 70 (severe impairment).

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Change in Ophthalmic blood flow (OBF)Baseline to Week 7
Change in Blood ViscosityBaseline to Week 7
Cholesterol composition of the bloodBaseline to week 7

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026