Patent ID: 6853859

Claim:
An at least partially implantable device for maintaining some cardiac output of a patient's heart during hemodynamically compromising malfunction using electrical forcing fields, comprising: (a) a power supply; (b) a hemodynamically compromising malfunction detector operatively connected to the power supply; (c) pulse delivery circuitry operatively connected to the power supply for delivering multiple electrical current pulses through portions of the patient's upper body; (d) output control circuitry connected to the hemodynamically compromising malfunction detector, the power supply, and the pulse delivery circuitry for controlling the delivery of multiple electrical current pulses to the patient's upper body after the detection of hemodynamically compromising malfunction, the electrical current pulses having a voltage level less than the voltage necessary to defibrillate the patient, the output control circuitry providing pulses suitable for only producing contraction in the patient's body sufficient to maintain a level of cardiac output which is a fraction of the normal maximum cardiac output until cessation of the hemodynamically compromising malfunction or until other medical intervention is provided; and (e) an internal defibrillator cooperating with the output control and adapted for delivering at least one internal defibrillation pulse to the patient's body.