Medium voltage therapy applications in treating cardiac arrest

A method of operating a cardiac electrotherapy system that is external to a subject, wherein the system includes a first and a second electrode, a monitor sub-system, an energy delivery sub-system, and a controller, the method comprising:

• placing the first and the second electrode on an exterior surface of the subject to complete a circuit that includes the energy delivery sub-system, the first and the second electrode, and the subject;
• activating, via the controller, the monitor sub-system such that the monitor sub-system senses cardiac activity of the subject;
• selectively activating, via the controller in response to the monitor sub-system, the energy delivery sub-system to apply a first energy signal to the subject through the first and the second electrode, wherein the first energy signal:
• has a magnitude that is incapable of causing a defibrillation effect in a subject that is human;
• includes a short time constant component capable of stimulating skeletal muscle in a subject that is human;
• and
• includes a long time constant component capable of stimulating cardiac tissue in a subject that is human.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) system comprising:

• a plurality of electrodes that interface with an exterior surface of a patient;
• defibrillation circuitry that generates and delivers a defibrillation shock to the patient via the electrodes in response to a patient condition that is treatable by defibrillation;
• electrical CPR circuitry that generates and delivers medium voltage therapy (MVT) via the electrodes in response to a patient condition that is treatable by CPR;
• patient monitoring sub-system that senses cardiac activity of the patient;
• a controller interfaced with the patient monitoring sub-system, the defibrillation circuitry and the electrical CPR circuitry that controls generation and delivery of the defibrillation shock in response to the patient condition that is treatable by defibrillation and controls generation and delivery of the MVT in response to the patient condition that is treatable by CPR such that the MVT is delivered as a pulsed output having a pulsed output voltage of between 20-1000 V, a pulsed output current of between 0.05-10.00 A, a pulsed packet rate of between 20-180 packets/minute, a pulsed packet duration of between 10-3000 ms, an intra-packet pulse duration of between 0.05-10.0 ms, and an intra-packet pulse rate of between 20-500 Hz.