Apparatus for automatically inducing fibrillation

A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient's heart, comprising:

• measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient's heart following cardiac pacing pulses delivered at a predetermined rate;
• deriving a first time interval based on said measured characteristic of said patient's T-waves;
• delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient's heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse to said patient's heart.

A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient's heart, comprising:

• pacing said patient's heart at a predetermined rate;
• defining a first time interval based on the refractory period of said patient's heart when paced at said predetermined rate;
• delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient's heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse at said predetermined rate to said patient's heart.

A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient's heart, comprising:

• measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient's heart following cardiac depolarizations;
• deriving a first time interval based on said measured characteristic of said patient's T-waves;
• delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient's heart following a depolarization of said patient's heart, at the expiration of said first time interval.

An automatic fibrillator, comprising:

• means for measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient's heart following cardiac depolarizations;
• means for deriving a first time interval based on the measurement of said time related characteristic;
• means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse following a cardiac depolarization, at the expiration of said first time interval.

A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient's heart, comprising:

• measuring the effective refractory period from depolarizations of said patient's heart while said patient's heart is beating at a known rate;
• deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient's heart;
• delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient's heart at said first time interval following a depolarization of said patient's heart while said patient'heart is beating at said known rate.

An automatic fibrillator, comprising:

• means for measuring the refractory period following depolarizations of said patient'heart while said patient's heart beats at a known rate;
• means for deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient's heart;
• means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient's heart at said first interval following a depolarization of said patient's heart while said patient's heart beats at said known rate.