Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) was first developed as ECP (External Counter Pulsation) at Harvard University in the 1950s but was overshadowed by the development of coronary bypass surgery, coronary angioplasty and stenting. It was used to treat heart attacks, heart failure and angina. ECP went on to be further refined in China and became EECP with the addition of sequential inflation of the cuffs from the calf to the buttocks rather than all at once.
