Inventors:
James E. Brewer - St. Paul MN
Ehssanollah Taghizadeh - Minneapolis MN
Assignee:
Clontz Corporation - Woodbury MN
International Classification:
A61B 5452
Abstract:
A method and apparatus continuously, automatically, and adaptively facilitate the electrical activity of a patient's heart by pulsing the heart with current. The method and apparatus further continuously, automatically, and adaptively monitor the resulting electrical activity of the patient's heart to assess the patient's likelihood for myocardial electrical instability. The method comprises the steps of injecting current across the patient's heart, monitoring the patient's electrocardiogram for the effects of these current pulses, and adapting the current pulses continuously and automatically to maximize the effects, thereby assessing a patient's likelihood of sudden cardiac death.