Objective To evaluate the effects of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP and CBM databases from January 1, 2010 to October 1, 2022 were searched by computer for the randomized controlled trial (RCT) about the intervention of EECP in patients with heart failure. Two researchers independently screened literature and extracted data. The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3. Results Nineteen RCTs were included. After EECP treatment, 6-minute walk distance (MD=57.37, 95%CI 40.89 to 70.85, P<0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction improved (SMD=0.85, 95%CI 0.55 to 1.14, P<0.001). B-type natriuretic peptide decreased significantly (SMD=?0.67, 95%CI ?1.09 to ?0.25, P=0.002). The left ventricular end diastolic diameter (MD=?7.77, 95%CI ?11.49 to ?4.04, P<0.001), and the left ventricular end systolic diameter were significantly reduced (MD=?8.53, 95%CI ?13.47 to ?3.60, P<0.001). The quality of life of patients was improved (MD=16.34, 95%CI 0.59 to 32.10, P=0.04). Conclusion EECP can improve the exercise ability and the quality of life in patients with heart failure. However, more and larger well-designed RCTs are still needed to verify this conclusion.
