Kochi: Dr Gopalakrishnan A Pillai, renowned heart surgeon and Medical Director of Aluva Hridaya Care Heart Institute, passed away on Friday. Over his career, he performed nearly 10,000 bypass surgeries, many of them free of cost. For patients too unwell to undergo surgery, he introduced EECP (Enhanced External Counter Pulsation) therapy, a non-invasive treatment that helps restore blood flow to the heart.

Among those who regained their health through his EECP therapy is actor Sreenivasan, who had been advised open-heart surgery but instead recovered from paralysis and severe diabetes through Dr Pillai’s treatment.

While working as a cardiac surgeon, Dr Pillai often treated patients with multiple stents who were unfit for further surgery. It was during this time that he began exploring alternative treatments and, after in-depth research, introduced EECP in Kerala — importing two machines and starting therapy at his Aluva centre, founded 13 years ago.

What Is EECP Therapy?

EECP is a non-surgical treatment that improves blood flow to the heart. The procedure uses inflatable cuffs (similar to blood pressure cuffs), placed on the patient’s legs and hips. These inflate in rhythm with the heartbeat, increasing blood flow to blocked coronary arteries, enhancing oxygen delivery, and improving cardiac function.

The therapy is carefully timed using a computer to apply pressure only during the resting phase of the heartbeat. The process, which involves a rapid sequence of cuff inflations from lower legs to thighs, simulates an external pumping mechanism — like an artificial heartbeat — and happens within seconds. It is especially effective for patients with arterial blockages who do not find relief through angioplasty or bypass surgery.

A life of service across borders

Dr Pillai studied medicine and practised for 17 years in the Soviet Union, before returning to India to work at Manipal Hospitals. He later joined Amrita Hospital in Kochi, where he and his team once performed up to 15 surgeries in a single day, including free bypass procedures in the early phase.

After four years, he moved to Kandy, Sri Lanka, to support the launch of a new hospital and worked there for five years, before returning to serve at Lakshmi Hospital in Ernakulam.