Effects of enhanced external counterpulsation on skeletal muscle gene expression in patients with severe heart failure. Homo sapiens

Male patients (n=6, mean age 62 years) with NYHA III-IV and an left ventricular ejection fraction of <35% despite pharmacological therapy received 35 hours of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) over a period of 7 weeks. Before and after treatment, lateral vastus muscle biopsies were obtained and skeletal muscle gene expression was evaluated using the Affymetrix HuGene 1.0 platform. Overall design: Skeletal muscle gene expression before and after treatment with enhanced external counterpulsation for 7 weeks in 6 male patients with severe heart failure