Dr. Holger Hotz
Specialist in cardiac surgery
Medical Director · Heart specialist
For you
When EECP may be an option.
EECP can help with
Chest pressure
Goal: fewer attacks and less tightness on exertion.
EECP can help withNarrowed coronary arteries
Goal: more resilience in everyday life.
EECP can help withHeart failure
Goal: more walking distance and less breathlessness on exertion.
EECP can helpafter stent or bypass
Goal: fewer symptoms after stent or bypass.
EECP can helpwhen no further procedure is possible
Goal: more quality of life when other options are exhausted.
EECP can help withLong Covid and ME/CFS
Goal: less exhaustion and more everyday energy.
EECP can helpin competitive sport
Goal: faster recovery and better blood flow in training.
EECP can helpto age in good health
Goal: elastic vessels and lasting resilience.
Partly very well documented by studies, partly a physiologically well-founded therapeutic trial. Whether EECP can make sense for you remains individual. More on the evidence →
What is EECP
Your training for heart and vessels.
While you lie relaxed, cuffs on the legs pump in time with your heartbeat. This increases blood flow to the heart, supports microcirculation and stimulates the body to form fine bypass vessels.
Developed from the 1960s at Harvard University, matured into its present form in the 1980s, FDA-approved since 1995, for heart failure since 1995. In Berlin since 2013.
What happens in the body
New pathways for your heart and vessels.
Applications
What EECP can be used for.
Chest pressure
Angina
Narrowed coronary arteries
Coronary artery disease
Poor blood supply to the heart
Circulatory disorder
Weak heart
Heart failure
After stent or bypass
Symptoms remain
When no further procedure is possible
Extended option
Stiff vessels
Vascular function
New vascular pathways
Collateralisation
Small heart vessels
Microvascular dysfunction
Long Covid and ME/CFS
Persistent fatigue
Competitive sport
Performance and recovery
Healthy ageing
Keeping vessels healthy for longer
Studies
What the research shows.
+2 %
Vessel dilation
The vessels widen measurably better after an EECP course.
Meta-analysis · 19 randomised studies · 1,647 patients Yin 2023 · PubMed → 5,3 → 2,4 Attacks per weekAngina attacks fell to less than half.
101 patients · 2 centres · observational study Ashokprabhu 2024 · PubMed → 85 % of those treatedMore than four in five patients had fewer angina symptoms afterwards.
Meta-analysis · 18 studies · 1990 to 2015 Zhang 2015 · PubMed → +85 m Walking distanceIn heart failure, the 6-minute walking distance rose by 85 metres on average.
Meta-analysis · 8 randomised studies Zhou 2021 · PubMed → 26 StudiesThe review shows less angina, less nitro spray and more walking distance.
Systematic review · partly without control group Ulavala 2026 · PubMed → 3 years lasting effectIn heart failure, exercise capacity and pumping function rose, also after three years.
120 patients · randomised · placebo-controlled Lishuta 2025 · PubMed → +60 m Walking distanceIn long Covid, walking distance rose by around 60 metres and fatigue decreased.
7 treatment centres · retrospective analysis Sathyamoorthy 2022 · PubMed → 7 University hospitalsSeven university hospitals showed in 1999: under exertion, the heart runs short of oxygen later.
139 patients · randomised · sham-controlled Arora 1999 · PubMed →
Why EECP Cardio Pulse
What sets us apart.
Gentle
Counterpulsation from outside. The body remains untouched.
Over 10 years in Berlin
EECP Cardio Pulse has been part of Berlin for many years.
Premium location
Kurfürstendamm 193H. Ärztehaus Cumberland.
Medically supervised
Check before you start. Support throughout the course.
Evidence-based
FDA approval since 1995, for heart failure since 2002. Named in the 2024 ESC guideline.
Part of a whole
With us, EECP is one building block. Embedded in modern heart medicine and diagnostics.
Team
Who looks after you.
Nirmeen Lasheen
Specialist in internal medicine and cardiology
Heart specialist
Paulina
Administration
Business administrator M.Sc.
Marco
Perfusionist
EECP treatment
Nadja
Coordination
Practice & surgery
Amara
Pharmaceutical technology B.Sc.
Reception
Ümmiye
Medical assistant
Practice team
Angela
Medical assistant
Practice team
Mariam
Certified ECG Technician (USA)
Practice team
Katarina
Medical staff member
Practice team
Linh
Medical staff member
Practice team
Julia
Medical student
cand. med.
Philosophy
“The strength comes from our own body. It knows the way. We only set the rhythm.”
Dr. Holger Hotz
Cardiac surgeon and Medical Director
Frequently asked questions
Good to know.
What is EECP therapy?
A gentle, non-invasive treatment from the outside, in which cuffs on the legs work in time with the heartbeat and so support the blood supply to heart, brain and tissue. EECP stands for Enhanced External Counterpulsation.
Does the treatment hurt?
The treatment feels like a firm, rhythmic massage. You lie comfortably, read, listen to music or relax. After the one-hour session you go straight back to your day.
Do I have to choose between EECP and my current treatment?
Both can be combined. EECP Cardio Pulse can stand on its own or complement your existing treatment. What stays and what is added, we discuss with you. More under Your heart concept.
What does EECP cost? Does insurance pay?
Around 100 euros per session, under GOÄ. Beforehand, the Cardio Check-Up confirms whether EECP is suitable for you, and we then recommend how many sessions make sense.
When is EECP not suitable?
EECP increases the return of blood to the heart and the pressure in the aorta. With some pre-existing conditions this would be a strain, so we advise against it: severe leakage of the aortic valve, an aneurysm of the aorta, markedly raised lung pressure, a recent thrombosis or vein inflammation, a pronounced bleeding tendency, uncontrolled high blood pressure, severe heart rhythm disorders, acutely decompensated heart failure, and pregnancy. Whether EECP Cardio Pulse is an option for you is something we clarify calmly in the Cardio Check-Up on the basis of your findings.
Location
On Kurfürstendamm at
On Kurfürstendamm at
Ärztehaus Cumberland.
Address
Cardio Pulse Berlin
Die Herzspezialisten
Kurfürstendamm 193H
Ärztehaus Cumberland
10707 Berlin
Directions
U1 Uhlandstraße right outside the door.
Buses and taxis stop in front of the building.
Appointment
Just give us a call.
We answer your questions and arrange an appointment together.
Private service under the GOÄ fee schedule: about 100 euros per session.