Patent ID: 7645247

Claim:
A method for improving the cardiac output and clinical outcome of a lifeless patient in apparent cardiac arrest who is suffering from pulseless electrical activity and yet still displays some myocardial wall motion detectable with sensing technology, the method comprising: detecting and characterizing residual myocardial mechanical activity with a sensing system that senses actual myocardial motion or pulsatile blood flow to determine the presence of residual left ventricular pump function, while the patient has no clinically detectable pulse and is diagnosed as in a state of cardiac arrest; repeatedly applying at least one phasic therapy based on the sensed myocardial mechanical activity such that the phasic therapy is synchronized with the sensed activity so as to augment cardiac ejection and avoid interfering with cardiac filling, and wherein the phasic therapy comprises applying a compressive force to the chest at least at some point during a time period corresponding to ejection phase and ceasing any compressive force during a relaxation phase.